Artem Chigvintsev has learned to be "comfortable" with how open Nikki Bella is.
The former ‘Dancing With The Stars’ pro – who met the retired WWE superstar when they were paired together on the TV competition in 2017 – had to adjust to his relationship being in the spotlight when they started dating last year, and while he isn’t always as forthcoming as his partner, he respects her fearlessness when it comes to sharing her life with her fans.
He exclusively told BANG Showbiz: "Well, the one thing that I really learned is that you become very comfortable with the stuff that makes you uncomfortable! [laughs]
"She is the type of person isn’t afraid to say things, says them, and then that’s what it is. She’s only being true to herself, and I’ve gotta respect that. I find that an amazing quality. It might be a lot of information, but hey, if she’s willing to share it, it means she’s not afraid of it!"
His comments came after Nikki, 35, spoke candidly about their "amazing sex life" while Artem – who also joined the ‘Total Bellas’ reality series full time earlier this year – was a guest on the eponymous podcast she shares with her twin sister Brie.
Her honestly certainly caught everyone’s attention, but the 37-year-old dancer admitted they manage to still keep enough of their relationship for themselves.
He said: "I think we do keep a good balance. If she says something to someone – see, the unfortunate thing with Nicole, once she says something to someone, it’s out there. That’s kind of the tricky part, but I feel like we keep a good balance."
Meanwhile, another big change for Artem has been having to pay more attention to his wardrobe choices now that he is always being photographed either on the red carpet or by paparazzi.
He explained: "It is strange, the world cares so much about my life which they didn’t in the past. It’s been a bit of an adjustment to make, don’t get me wrong. It’s been a learning curve – but it’s fun and it’s great that people care.
"But at the same time, thinking ‘I can’t wear this shirt today because I wore it two days ago’. You can’t wear the same clothes. I went through my whole closet in about two weeks, and I was like, ‘Man I better go shopping!’ "