John Cena is a hero in the ring, but he's human in real life. The WWE superstar, who will host the 2016 ESPY Awards on Wednesday, July 13, tells Us Weekly exclusively how he and girlfriend Nikki Bella make their relationship work despite their lives in the limelight.
Cena, 39, says that he has something "extremely special" in the Total Divas star, 32, and points out that she doesn't let his myriad female fans bother her. The pair have been dating since 2012.
"She’s truly the love of my life, and she deserves to be treated as such," the Trainwreck actor tells Us. "Because we’re in the same industry, she truly understands that there will be fans that are looking for a different sort of admiration, but it takes two to be disrespectful, and I would like to think that in most every encounter, I try to treat her with as much respect as I can."
"And I’m not perfect," he continues. "I eff up a lot, but that always goes through my head, to try to treat her with respect."
Cena reveals that he is currently "full-blast in preparation mode" to get ready for his first time hosting the ESPYs, which honors the year's athletic accomplishments. He hopes to give fans a "spectacular show" that is "inspirational and motivational."
The hunky American Grit star, who is also set to host Fox's Teen Choice Awards on July 31, says that he shed tears recently while watching a clip from the 2012 ESPYS of University of Tennessee Lady Vols basketball coach Pat Summitt accepting the Arthur Ashe Courage Award. Summitt died at age 64 on June 28, 2016, after battling Alzheimer's.
"I was just watching some pieces today on that — obviously because of the recent news — the Pat Summitt piece as an Arthur Ashe recipient, and I just started crying my eyes out," he says. "It’s a wonderful show that can get you to laugh and cry at the same time."
The ESPYS ceremony airs on ABC Wednesday, July 13, at 8 p.m. ET.
