John Cena and Nikki Bella broke up last month, after a six-year relationship that recently peaked with an engagement—and plummeted when the couple announced their wedding plans were canceled. Cena visited Kathie Lee and Hoda on The Today Show this morning and opened up about his feelings, which could essentially be summed up as follows: “I want to be with her. I want to make her my wife.”
When Cena got down on one knee and proposed to Bella with a ring, in the ring, during WrestleMania 33 last year, wrestling fans and general onlookers alike were pretty excited. The two seemed like a genuinely happy, healthy couple, and it’s always great to see love win when there’s so much darkness in the world. Of course, the split announced last month was equally as affecting, which is why this latest development is so genuinely heartfelt and relatable.
“I was supposed to be married and have a honeymoon over these two weeks,” said Cena. “It’s the first time in 15 years I’ve taken a vacation. I am in my house alone surrounded by these emotionally strong memories, and every day from 6-9 I get out of the house to go talk to strangers as social interactions.”
As anyone who’s ever gone through love and heartbreak before understands, these are some very difficult things to say out loud. Cena is clearly thoroughly emotionally affected by the recent events, with his strong character and humanity allowing him to get these things out on TV. While we definitely feel for him here, it’s also important to note that he made sure to address public scrutiny regarding his post-breakup behavior. Cena tells it straight up, vocalizing that he’s only out and about in order to maintain his sanity in order to process this trauma healthily.
“It’s very difficult,” said Cena. “I had my heart broken out of nowhere—or for me it was out of nowhere. Anyone who’s experienced that knows that it comes with a series of bad feelings.” Fortunately, Cena added that he’s been reflective, active, and as stable as anyone in these situations can be. Hopefully, the two will be able to work things out in the future—but if they can’t, Cena seems like the kind of man who’ll be able to process, accept, and live to fight another day.
When Nikki Bella was told what Cena said earlier this morning, she was basically completely shocked. Extra caught up with Bella at a red carpet event today and read back part of Cena's statements, to which she replied, "Wow. Well, I'm speechless. Yeah, that's crazy. Yeah."
Of course, she did a few more things to add, some of which were very telling. "I just want John and I both to live happily ever after, whether it's together or separate," she said. "I just don't want us to go down the road in life and have regrets, of like 'I did this for you and you did this to me.'" It seems like this was more of a thoughtful separation than some might've assumed, with Bella explaining that life isn't as easy as it may seem at times.
"The day I say my vows, I want to say them once and I want to fully mean them," she said. "So that's what made me hesitant, is ‘am I ready to say these vows’?” Bella added that the pressure of doing a tv show, getting engaged to world-famous wrestler, and dealing with her family might've gotten to her, or rather, that it doesn't help to stay centered. "I didn't think cold feet and all of that type of stuff existed, but it exists," she said. Hopefully, these two will eventually talk directly, instead of separately, via interviews.
