Nikki Bella Speaks On ‘Traumatising’ Breakup With John Cena

Nikki Bella has opened up about her “traumatising” breakup with John Cena when their relationship ended after over five years together.

Nikki Bella and John Cena began a relationship in 2012 and it was publicised through reality shows Total Divas and Total Bellas. WrestleMania 33 also featured the pair teaming up in the ring to defeat another WWE couple, The Miz and Maryse, in an intergender tag match.

After the match, the two shared one of WrestleMania’s most heartwarming moments when John Cena got down on one knee and proposed to Nikki Bella who happily accepted.

However, the couple split the following year after Nikki called off their engagement. After what she described as “much time and soul-searching alone and together”, they amicably parted ways in the summer of 2018.

In a new interview with ET, Nikki Bella says it was “traumatising”, even though she knew it was the right thing to do.

“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.”

The former couple have since found new partners, with John Cena marrying product manager Shay Shariatzadeh, while Nikki Bella is engaged to professional dancer Artem Chigvintsev.

Both stars are currently Ambassadors for WWE. John Cena was last in action at SummerSlam 2021, where he lost to Roman Reigns, while Nikki Bella entered the 2022 women’s Royal Rumble match.