Looking back! Nikki Bella reflected on her “traumatizing” split from ex-fiancé John Cena days after his second wedding to wife Shay Shariatzadeh in Canada.

The Total Bellas alum, 38, admitted she “knew it was right” at the time to end her long-term relationship with the WWE star, 45, during an interview with Entertainment Tonight on Wednesday, July 20. 

Nikki Bella Calls John Cena Split 'Hard' After His Wedding
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“No one thought I would, but it was hitting me so hard,” she said of their breakup after six years together. “Even though it’s painful and even traumatizing, I just knew it was right.”

That being said, Nikki said it was difficult to end things because their relationship was “loving,” adding, “You almost wish it was bad, because it’s so much easier to walk away.”

The Total Divas alum surmised that even though some people are “amazing,” she was “meant to live a different life.”

Nikki’s reflection on her “loving” relationship with John, which lasted from 2012 to 2018, came days after he and Shay, 33, celebrated their marriage during a second wedding in Vancouver, Canada. The city holds a special place in their hearts because it’s where they first met in 2019 while the actor was filming Playing With Fire.

John and Shay officially became husband and wife on October 12, 2020, when they quietly married during a private ceremony in Tampa, Florida. 

A source previously told Life & Style that the engineer brings out the WWE Raw star’s “softer side.”

“In John’s eyes, Shay is the whole package,” the source said in March 2020. “She’s beautiful, intelligent, kind, independent and family-orientated and there’s rarely any drama between them.” 

Nikki Bella Reflects on 'Traumatizing' John Cena Split Days After His 2nd Wedding to Shay Shariatzadeh
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The Be a Work in Progress author’s career is extremely successful, and in the past, he has been very protective of his fortune. Fans of Total Bellas saw John make Nikki sign a 75-page prenup before she moved into his home in 2016 as a “failsafe in case something happens.”

Although the Peacemaker actor was previously against having kids of his own, which was a contributing factor to his and Nikki’s split, the Massachusetts native has since softened his stance.

“I’m a little bit older, a bit wiser. I’m realizing there is life and life exists and it’s beautiful — and I think part of that is being a parent, so we’ll see,” the Marine actor told The Sun in June 2021.

For her part, Nikki began dating Dancing With the Stars pro Artem Chigvintsev in January 2019 and got engaged that November. They welcomed their son, Matteo, in 2020.