Nikki Bella Opens Up About 'Traumatizing' Break Up With John Cena
Nikki Bella's relationship with John Cena was a passionate one, but the two-time WWE Diva's Champion knew deep down that the two stars weren't the right fit for each other. Bella was interviewed by "Entertainment Tonight" ahead of her and her sister Brie's upcoming "WWE Legends" biography on A&E, and Nikki pulled back the curtain of how she and Cena broke up.
"You almost wish it was bad because it's so much easier to walk away," Bella said. "It's so much harder to walk away when it's loving.
"I think a lot of women get into this situation when it's like, 'I love this person, but I don't know if it's right for my life,' and that's a hard thing. Sometimes, we meet amazing people but we're just meant to live a different life. ... I just got this feeling so deep in my gut of like, 'I need to walk away.' And no one thought I would, but it was hitting me so hard. Even though it's painful and even traumatizing, I just knew it was right."
Bella and Cena split ways back in 2018 following a six-year relationship, but she found love once more with professional dancer, Artem Chigvintsev whom she met during season 25 of "Dancing With The Stars." Together, they have a baby boy named Matteo.
"I just knew that I didn't want to bring a child into a relationship if I didn't know if this life was right for them, and I went with it. Artem came waltzing into my life and now I have Matteo," Bella said to ET. "This is how I know God is good, and believing your gut and your intuition and following through, that good things happen."
A big aspect of Cena and Bella breaking up was Cena's lack of desire to have children at the time, but it was last year when Cena expressed a change of heart, which Nikki was happy to hear. Since the two went their separate ways, Cena married Shay Shariatzadeh back in 2020. Bella, who took the time to thank Cena during her WWE Hall of Fame induction, is aiming to exchange nuptials with her fiance in the fall as they hope to get her fiance's family over to America to celebrate.