Why did Nikki Bella and John Cena break up? WWE stars discuss split

WWE fans were demanding to know why Nikki Bella and John Cena split after they announced their break-up.

It seems as though every week, two of our favourite famous faces seem to part ways, issuing a statement to their Instagram accounts, in which they inform their fans that they "still love each other" but that "life is taking us down different paths."

But why did Nikki Bella and John Cena break up?

Nikki Bella John Cena break up Nikki Bella and John Cena shocked fans when they split (Credit: PA)

Why did Nikki Bella and John Cena break up?

From the outside looking in, Cena and Bella seemed like the perfect relationship, with them being seasoned professional wrestlers who became engaged at WrestleMania 33.

But 12 months down the line and the combative couple announced their separation. Wrestling fans, who had come to love the authentic couple in their world of theatrics and make-believe, were left heartbroken by the news.

The much-loved couple had been dating since 2012, and shocked everyone when they announced their split with an emotional, tear-jerking post on Nikki’s Instagram, posted in April of 2018:

"After much contemplation and 6 years of being together Nikki Bella and John Cena announced today their decision to separate as a couple," it said.

While the reasons for the split remain unknown, a source told People at the time:

"He was making it abundantly clear that he was going into this gritting his teeth the whole way. Nikki is an amazing, talented, strong, one-of-a-kind woman. Anyone would be lucky to have her in their life – yet John acted more and more like he was doing her a favor by somehow conceding to go ahead and marry her."

The WWE stars were planning to get married

What has John Cena said about the break up?

While he may seem like a tough guy on the exterior, John Cena has opened up about the break-up and its impact.

Speaking to Entertainment Weekly during CinemaCon 2018 in Las Vegas, per US Weekly, the 43-year-old admitted:

"It sucks. There’s no other way to say [it], I love Nicole with all my heart, and that’s that."

Nikki and John split in 2018

John Cena asked fans to respect their privacy during the split

According to Fox News, John also made the following comments while at CinemaCon:

"I love Nicole with all my heart, and the split is very tough, but that’s life.

"We all go through highs, we all go through lows. I’m going to get through it. I love her. I’ll always love her. The fact that my heart hurts for her — I know I was in love. So I’ll always have that."

John was at CinemaCon to promote BumbleBee, a spin-off from the Transformers series set two decades prior to the original movie.

"While this decision was a difficult one, we continue to have a great deal of love and respect for one another. We ask that you respect our privacy during this time in our lives."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqYMDvF9qhk

What has Nikki Bella said about the break up?

"I felt like that wasn’t fair to him because he was on this journey with us from the beginning" Bella told Health in 2019.

She added that she regrets that her reality show, Total Bellas, didn't show more of Cena's side when it came to the split.

"What people don’t realize is that John never took one paycheck from Total Bellas. It was beautiful — he was fully there to support me. I’ll never forget his support and his love. That’s what made me sad — I don’t want to say it became the Nikki show, but in a way it did because you didn’t get to see John anymore."

Bella then said that she and her family still "love" her ex, and that he's an "amazing person."