Crossing a line? John Cena addressed fan speculation that his girlfriend, Shay Shariatzadeh, resembles his ex-fiancée, Nikki Bella.
“Thank you so much for asking that question, but I’ll keep that as your question and keep those details to myself,” the actor, 42, told Andy Cohen and Hoda Kotb during his Thursday, November 7, appearance on the Today show.
Cena went on to detail how his romance with Shariatzadeh differs from his on-again, off-again relationship with Bella, 35. “Every experience in life is a chance for us to know who we are and who we’re not, and just because I went down one avenue in life doesn’t mean I’m going to repeat going down that avenue,” he said. “I think if there is a learning experience for me and a takeaway for me, it’s OK to be who you are and it’s OK to establish boundaries.”
He added: “Just because a precedent was set doesn’t mean you need to follow that precedent, as long as you take ownership of who you are. … If you’ve done something before and it doesn’t really mesh with who you are, it’s OK to change. It’s OK to develop and grow, and that’s the journey of life.”
Cena did give a tiny update on his personal life, though. “I can say with great confidence I’m extremely happy,” he noted.
Us Weekly broke the news of the Playing With Fire actor’s split from Bella in April 2018. The exes briefly reconciled before breaking up again in July 2018. The Total Bellas star has since moved on with boyfriend Artem Chigvintsev, 37, Us exclusively reported in January.
Cena was first linked to Shariatzadeh in March when the twosome were spotted holding hands in Canada. The couple made their red carpet debut at his movie premiere in New York City in October.
A source told Us in July that the Blockers star is “really into Shay and excited about their new relationship.” According to the insider, she is “really smart and easygoing” as well as “great for him.”
Bella, meanwhile, revealed exclusively to Us in May that she “loved” seeing her ex move on. “I’m not just even saying that. I’ve been so happy for him because I think because of the decisions that I’ve made, you know, walking away and just needing to find myself because I felt like I lost it,” she explained at the time. “I literally would pray every day of, like, all I want [for] him is to be happy and to find happiness — and it’s true. Like, he’s still so close to my family and all I ever want is for his happiness and he seems so happy now and that makes me really happy.”
