Setting the record straight. Nikki Bella is making it clear that she still wants to marry fiancé Artem Chigvintsev after her recent comments about their prolonged engagement sparked speculation to the contrary.
The former WWE star, 38, raised eyebrows on Monday, February 28, when she revealed that the couple have yet to walk down the aisle in part because she wants to “make sure it’s forever.” Bella explained during an episode of E! News’ Daily Pop that she doesn’t want their son, Matteo, to “go through a divorce.”
The Total Bellas star, who has been engaged to Chigvintsev, 39, since November 2019, clarified her comments during a special edition of her and sister Brie Bella’s “The Bellas” podcast on SiriusXM’s Stitcher on Thursday, March 3.
“I will be getting married, and I can’t wait,” Nikki told her twin sister, explaining that the duo’s wedding is still something they want. “I do me, for me. So that means I’ll marry Artem when I want, for me and [Matteo] and him for my life.”
Brie, who is married to Bryan Danielson, noted that things have changed in recent years, especially amid the coronavirus pandemic.
“Back in the day, people would race to the courthouse to get married. Nowadays we’re all very progressive,” she said. “Some people are realizing they don’t need a certificate to feel married. You and Artem act married. No one expects people to get married anymore.”
Nikki admitted that some of her remarks on Daily Pop made it seem like she just hooked up with the Dancing With the Stars pro in order to have a baby, which was not the case. However, she noted that her 19-month-old son is now her No. 1 priority, which has made her rethink the timing of her wedding.
“It’s weird how it hits you now, or me, [in my] late 30s, a mother, Artem and I already have this beautiful life together,” Nikki continued, adding, “I still want to get married, don’t get me wrong.”
The Russian dancer, 39, joined the Bella twins on Thursday’s “Special Edition: Kill a Rumor” podcast episode, clarifying that his proposal signified that he has every intention of marrying Nikki.
“When one proposes to another, they definitely have a better understanding of what that person wants to do,” Chigvintsev, who has been vocal about wanting his parents at their nuptials, explained. “I proposed to you, knowing how I [felt] and what I wanted.”
Nikki revealed that she is “really sad” when the professional dancer is on tour, saying she “can’t imagine” her life without him, which is why a formal wedding is still the plan. “I truly feel like deep down in my heart I’ve found the person that I do want to spend the rest of my life with and I do want to get married to him,” she added.
The California native, however, pointed to the COVID-19 pandemic and wedding price tags as the real reason she and Chigvintsev haven’t set a date.
“There are things that Artem and I don’t talk about, like, financially we have so much more going on in our lives that to think, for Artem and I for the past two years, thinking of putting our money into a wedding — it’s probably the main reason we’ve hesitated,” Nikki confessed. “For me, when I do have my wedding, I want it to be a dream. I don’t want to do something little because it’s all that you can afford right now. We never wanted to say that.”
Chigvintsev chimed in: “I don’t feel like I have to say it to anybody.”
