Skip to main content

Rob Gronkowski Shares Sweet Message About Camille Kostek at Sports Legends Dinner

The retired NFL star expressed gratitude for his longtime partner while chatting with ‘People’ on the red carpet.
Rob Gronkowski and Camille Kostek
Rob Gronkowski and Camille Kostek | John Nacion/Getty Images

The 41st Annual Sports Legends Dinner took place on Monday, Oct. 5, welcoming top stars and Hall of Famers to New York City to celebrate all things sports. Among the honorees at the yearly fundraiser was retired NFL star Rob Gronkowski, who was spotlighted as a “Football Legend.”

For those unfamiliar with the athlete, Gronkowski—or as fans know him, “Gronk”—played for the New England Patriots for nine seasons, winning three Super Bowls during his time with the team. He initially retired from the NFL in 2019, but returned one year later to play for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, earning his fourth Super Bowl ring in 2021 before officially retiring in 2022.

And on Monday, Oct. 12, People revealed that the former tight end shared a sweet message about his longtime partner, Camille Kostek, crediting his Super Bowl-level success as a product of her unwavering support.

As noted above, Gronkowski was one of several honorees at the event, taking the stage to make a speech and celebrate his impressive career. But before the ceremony began, the NFL star walked the red carpet with Kostek, and the two posed for photos in their sleek, coordinating ensembles. Gronkowski rocked a classic white button-up beneath a navy suit accessorized with a brown belt. Meanwhile, Kostek—a prolific model and TV host—wore a chic, cream-colored silk dress complete with a matching blazer.

As the couple entered the event, the tight end stopped to chat with People, opening up about how much Kostek’s support over the years has impacted him. He told the magazine exclusively, “Camille’s been an absolute support system throughout my whole career, since the first time that we met.”

He added that every time he was “knocked down,” Kostek was there to lift his spirits, including while he was healing from an injury. He concluded with the sweet sentiment: “Without her, you know, I wouldn’t have had the career and all the Super Bowls that I have.”

To read Gronkowski’s full comments with People, click here.

As of 2026, the couple has been romantically linked for over a decade, and their sweet love story is like something out of a romantic comedy!

Kostek was a former cheerleader for the New England Patriots when she first met the tight end at a charity event in 2013. However, the pair didn’t make their relationship public until two years later, after the model retired from cheerleading, and they’ve remained inseparable since. To learn more about their relationship, click here.


More Lifestyle & Celeb

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Published
Allie Hayes
ALLIE HAYES

Allie Hayes is an experienced pop culture staff writer and editor specializing in movies, TV and celebrity news. Before joining the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit team as a Breaking/Trending News Editor, she worked at several outlets including BuzzFeed, The Daily Dot, and Newsweek. When she’s not writing for work (or writing for fun), you’ll find her curled up on the couch reading yet another romance novel, obsessively watching pro wrestling with her friends, or taking blurry photos of her two adorable cats.