Nikki Bella reflected on her “painful” breakup with John Cena just days after his second marriage to Shay Shariatzadeh.
Bella said in a new interview that her split from Cena in 2018 was “hard” because their relationship was still “loving” at the end.
“You almost wish it was bad because it’s so much easier to walk away,” the 38-year-old “Total Bellas” explained to “Entertainment Tonight.”
“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 good for my life,'” she added. “Sometimes we meet great people, but we’re just supposed to live a different life.”
The reality star and professional wrestler recalled feeling the need to put it “deep” in her gut.
“No one thought I would, but it hit me so hard,” she said of their breakup. “While it’s painful and even traumatizing, I just knew it was right.”
Bella and Cena, 45, started dating in 2012, and got engaged five years later. Although they broke up in April 2018, they reconciled later that same year, albeit briefly.
Bella has since moved on to “Dancing With the Stars” pro Artem Chigvintsev, who she got engaged in November 2019. They share a 1-year-old son, Matteo.
Cena, for his part, began his romance with Shariatzadeh, 33, in 2019. They legally married in October of the following year at a Florida law firm.
Last week, the couple enjoyed a more traditional wedding ceremony in front of their family and friends in Canada.
As for Bella, she told “ET” on Wednesday that she is “still planning” her own marriage to Chigvintsev, 40.
“We’re just trying to figure out this whole family thing with Artem,” the bride-to-be explained about her Russian in-laws.
“[We’re] pray that hopefully we can get Artem’s family to America soon. That is our goal.”