On different pages. Nikki Bella and Artem Chigvintsev don’t see eye to eye on publicly discussing their sex life — but do they agree on expanding their family?
“He gets very embarrassed,” Bella, 39, exclusively told Us Weekly on Tuesday, January 24, of how her husband, 40, feels about her openness with their bedroom activities. “He hates it.”
The former wrestler has always been vocal about her sexual preferences, but Chigvintsev exclusively told Us that he is “exactly the opposite of that.”
The couple — who are promoting their wedding miniseries, Nikki Bella Says I Do, which premieres on Thursday, January 26 — noted that they’ve had to adjust to each other’s public personas.
“I have to learn how to live with it,” the Dancing With the Stars pro said of his wife’s lack of filter, explaining that he feels like he’s “not in the room” when Bella talks about their romantic dalliances.
Chigvintsev recalled a conversation that the Total Bellas alum had in the car earlier that day when she seemed to forget he was right beside her and uncomfortable.
Bella told Us the topic of sex and a take-charge partner came up on Tuesday. “You know, when you just want your man to, like, grab you all rough up against the wall?” she asked.
The Russia native chimed in: “And I’m sitting next to you know that conversation. I’m like, ‘I’m here.’ I’m like, ‘No, no. OK. Nope.’”
The twosome, who confirmed in August 2022 that they are married, revealed to Us that sex isn’t the only subject where they have differing opinions. After welcoming their son, Matteo, in July 2020, the pair haven’t decided whether they want to expand their family.
“I’m kind of, like, a one and done [person],” Bella told Us on Tuesday, adding that she “would love to have two kids” in a “dream” world but isn’t sure she wants to go through another pregnancy.
Chigvintsev, for his part, is more ready for baby No. 2, but understands he’s not the one who has to give birth.
“If it happens, you know, like, two kids, boom, it’s too great. Let’s do it,” he explained. “[But] I’m not caring [the child] for nine months, so it’s not really my decision to make.”
The professional dancer insisted that “two is better than one” when it comes to kids but confessed that his and Bella’s schedules don’t make it easy to be parents.
“I don’t know if a lot of parents can relate, but I mean, it’s challenging to have a one kid, especially if you [are] full-time committed to what you do,” Chigvintsev told Us. “And for us, specifically, like, our jobs are not in one location. It’s tough to figure it out that process because you also want to be a big part of [your child’s life].”
He admitted he doesn’t know “what it’s gonna look like with two,” joking that based on his family’s lineage, they’ll probably have a second boy — which would be even more work.
Nikki Bella Says I Do premieres on E! Thursday, January 26, at 9 p.m. ET.
With reporting by Christina Garibaldi
