Nikki Bella was "broken" before she reconnected with Artem Chigvintsev.
The ‘Total Bellas’ star first met her now-fiancé – with whom she is expecting her first child – when they were partnered together on ‘Dancing with the Stars’ in 2017, whilst Nikki was romancing wrestling star John Cena.
Nikki then split with John in 2018 and reconnected with Artem several months later, when they began dating.
And now, the 36-year-old retired professional wrestler has said she can’t wait for fans to see her special bond with Artem play out on ‘Total Bellas’, because the professional dancer came into her life at a time when she was least expecting it.
Captioning a series of pictures of them dancing together, Nikki wrote on Instagram: "Hope this message brings you hope, bravery, a smile and fills you up with love. I know yesterday I deleted a message that brought you all such smiles. I’ll explain why another time. It’s a good story (even funny.) So I hope this does the same.
"This Thursday you all get to finally watch & see more behind the photos, the dancing, & the stories of this love, this roller coaster ride I have had with @theartemc on #totalbellas
"They say love conquers all…and it sure does. So many people in the beginning said it was just lust, my feelings weren’t real, it was just the dance, the infatuation, the mystery of this person, but I knew & felt it was always more. I listened to my heart, my soul, my body, I knew deep down that this was God’s gift, his answered prayer. You never know when He will answer it, when it will come, it’s never the timing we desire, or atleast we don’t think it is. (sic)"
Nikki went on to explain Artem, 37, gave her a "beautiful gift" in the form of his "powerful love", and gushed over the impending arrival of their baby, who is due in August.
She continued: "When I finally got the chance, & maybe because I was so broken, I tried to fight a very powerful love, deny it, walk away from it, & yet this beautiful gift of love wouldn’t let me walk away, this love that I always wanted. Now I didn’t expect to get so much of what I had been praying for in a year lol but I finally opened up my eyes, my heart, & accepted this beautiful gift. And now I have the most beautiful gift of all coming in August, my baby. (Goodness I love saying that!!) (sic)"
The ‘Bellas Podcast’ host closed her message by urging people to "communicate" with their partners, especially as many households are facing self-isolation amid the coronavirus pandemic.
She wrote: "I know being locked inside with your love one right now can be more tough than enjoyable, especially when finances and kids come into play but maybe right now is a good time to communicate, be adventurous in creative ways, be silly & just dance. Don’t give up on love. Imagine if I did. Sorry so long.Luv u all! (sic)"