Travis Kelce’s ex Kayla Nicole struggles to breathe while submerged underwater in ‘Special Forces’ sneak peek

Kayla Nicole pushed herself to her physical limit while competing on Season 3 of “Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test.”

In an exclusive sneak peek look at the upcoming season, the sports journalist — who many know as the ex-girlfriend of Travis Kelce — struggled to breathe when she was completely submerged underwater during one of the brutal challenges.

Nicole, along with fellow recruits like Cam Newton, Brody Jenner and Kyla Pratt, were placed inside of a locked area of a boat as part of their water warfare training in Wales. Once underwater, each celebrity contestant had to find a way to escape on their own.

As seen in the clip obtained by Page Six, the participants wore black, numbered hard hats to help identify them as they submerged themselves for one of the many survival drills they were tasked with this season.

While several of the recruits were seen gasping for air inside the cage, Nicole appeared to scream for help as she struggled to hold her breath in an attempt to escape.

The model’s hard hat, which featured the number “8,” was the only portion of Nicole that was visible as she banged on the top of the cage to be let free.

Outside of the submerged boat, one of the DS (Directing Staff) agents could be seen standing on top of the cage and holding a rope while the recruits gasped for air beneath him.

Nicole’s appearance on the show comes amid ongoing interest over her and her past romance with Kelce.

The fitness guru dated the NFL star from 2017 to May 2022 before he moved on with his current girlfriend, Taylor Swift.

Nicole previously told Page Six that she wanted to participate in the challenging series in order to showcase her “raw, vulnerable” side.

“I would say I’m the opposite of being afraid of what people are going to see. I’m actually excited for people to see us stripped down, raw, vulnerable,” she exclusively shared at a Fox press day.

“I think people in general, the general public, need to be reminded that we’re all humans, right? We all have very real emotions. And I’m excited about that element [of] allowing us to be humans.”

The content creator also addressed how her public breakup from the Kansas City Chiefs tight end — and the backlash she’s received from speaking out about him and Swift — has mentally prepared her for a show like “Special Forces.”

“God, I think that put things in full perspective, that social media is literally just that. Social media, words on the internet and experiences like this put life into perspective,” she told us. “Like, there’s people in the real world that are doing this on a daily basis to save lives. So the little tweets and the headlines could mean nothing to me when you’re put in an environment like this.”

The Season 3 premiere of “Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test” — which also features Denise Richards, Carey Hart, Stephen Baldwin and more — airs Jan. 8 on Fox.