Nikki Garcia tried for a long time to make things appear better than they were in her marriage.
In Monday’s revealing new episode of her podcast The Nikki & Brie Show, the former WWE star got candid about her split from her husband and baby daddy Artem Chigvintsev after he was arrested following a domestic violence incident at their home. While he wasn’t charged, Nikki ultimately filed for a divorce, which was just settled weeks ago.
Related: Brie Talks ‘Trauma’ & ‘Sadness’ She Can’t ‘Fix’ Amid Nikki’s Ordeal
In the emotional episode, the athlete, formerly known as Nikki Bella, explained that she “played up” the romance in the spotlight in hopes it would help things get better behind the scenes. She explained:
“I wanted [him] to heal. I wanted [him] to get help … because that’s what my son [Matteo] deserves.”
To do this, it meant she often had to pretend they were the happy little family everyone thought they were, faking it for the cameras. Nikki dished:
“It’s sad. [The relationship] hasn’t been great for a long time. I really played it up like things were a lot better than they were in the public eye. I felt like, ‘If I can just put this person on a pedestal … maybe they can believe that in themselves.’”
Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to save the marriage.
Just as heartbreaking, one reason the 41-year-old tried so hard to make things seem picture-perfect was because she didn’t want to repeat history. Referencing her failed romance with her former fiancé John Cena, the Total Bellas star remarked:
“I didn’t want another failed public relationship.”
Aw!!
Nikki and John were linked from 2012 to 2018. After they broke up, Nikki moved on with the Dancing with the Stars pro dancer, welcoming their 4-year-old together. She’s now left feeling “heartbroken” by the divorce — but the good news is she doesn’t have any “regrets” over how she handled the end of the relationship. She expressed:
“I came at it with love. The day Matteo wants to sit and talk about it, I have all the proof that I tried to handle everything with love and care. All I wanted to do was to protect [him].”
Her sister Brie Garica also confirmed that Nikki doesn’t “care” about any negative headlines or “lies” spreading about her, despite admittedly being “shocked” by the allegations being made against her. TBH, it’ll probably be a relief not to have to fake things in public anymore! Nobody wants to go through heartbreak in the spotlight, but staying in an allegedly toxic romance is far worse. We’re glad she’s focused on healing now.
Thoughts, Perezcious readers? Let us know (below).
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, help is available. Consider calling the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233, or text START to 88788, or go to https://www.thehotline.org/.
[Image via Universal Television LLC/Summerdale Productions/YouTube]
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