Taking it slow. Nikki Bella made her romance with Dancing With the Stars pro Artem Chigvintsev Instagram official on Sunday, March 24, but she said the pair still aren’t exclusive.
“Yeah, we’re dating. … There’s been a lot of speculation about us … but I’m still dating [other people],” Bella, 35, said on the first episode of “The Bellas Podcast” with her sister, Brie Bella, which was released on Wednesday, March 27. “We’re having fun. He’s showing me L.A.”
Nikki also explained that she and Chigvintsev, are “sleeping together” and keeping things casual. The professional wrestler noted, “Yes, I spent the night at his house. … We’re not engaged. We’re not married. We’re not boyfriend and girlfriend. We don’t say, ‘I love you.’ We make out. He’s a great kisser.”
Nikki said she felt the need to keep the fling private at the beginning because she “just wasn’t ready for all that to come out to the world,” especially after being in an extremely public relationship with John Cena for six years.
As always, Brie had her twin’s back and continued, “If her ex was seen dating someone, they’d be like, ‘Right on!’ If they see her dating someone, suddenly she’s called a whore or a slut. That’s why she felt like she had to live in a cave.”
Fans saw Nikki and the Russian dancer riding off into the sunset on his Ducati motorcycle on the Total Bellas season 4 finale on Sunday. “I’m just having a lot of fun and I feel like, for the first time ever, I’m focusing on me,” she said during the episode. “It’s crazy. I never in my life would’ve thought that, like, I would’ve had a lot in common with a Russian. I’m ready to really explore new things and people and just really see what certain chemistries are all about.”
Nikki also announced her retirement from the WWE during the finale.
Us Weekly broke the news of the DWTS season 25 partners’ tryst in January. She later told Us that the pair are “just friends,” even though they have “so much chemistry and a cool connection.”
Cena, 41, and Nikki called off their engagement in April 2018. “While this decision was a difficult one, we continue to have a great deal of love and respect for one another,” they told Us in a statement at the time. “We ask that you respect our privacy during this time in our lives.”
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