Nikki Bella and Artem Chigvintsev are keeping things casual as they explore their relationship as romantic partners.
After Sunday’s season finale of Total Bellas, when the WWE Superstar confirmed she and her Dancing With the Stars Season 25 partner had become more than just friends, Nikki and twin sister Brie Bella opened up about the relationship on the first episode of The Bellas Podcast, released Wednesday.
Videos by PopCulture.com
“Yeah, we’re dating. … There’s been a lot of speculation about us … but I’m still dating [other people],” Nikki said to her sister about her relationship with the pro dancer. “We’re having fun. He’s showing me L.A.”
Adding that she and Chigvintsev, are “sleeping together,” she insisted things were staying casual between the two. “Yes, I spent the night at his house,” she continued. “We’re not engaged. We’re not married. We’re not boyfriend and girlfriend. We don’t say, ‘I love you.’ We make out. He’s a great kisser.”
The two were rumored to be romantically connected since Nikki’s split with fellow WWE personality John Cena in April 2018, when she called off their wedding after six years together.
After being in such a public relationship for so long, Nikki explained she kept her tryst with Chigvintsev private for so long because she “just wasn’t ready for all that to come out to the world.”
Brie added of the double standard often applied to women in high-profile relationships, “If her ex was seen dating someone, they’d be like, ‘Right on!’ If they see her dating someone, suddenly she’s called a whore or a slut. That’s why she felt like she had to live in a cave.”
After making periodic appearances throughout Season 4 of Total Bellas, Chigvintsev made a telling appearance in Sunday’s finale, appearing to take Nikki off into the sunset on his motorcycle after she announced her retirement from wrestling.
“I’m just having a lot of fun and I feel like, for the first time ever, I’m focusing on me,” she said in a voiceover as she wrapped her arms around her new romantic partner. “It’s crazy. I never in my life would’ve thought that, like, I would’ve had a lot in common with a Russian. I’m ready to really explore new things and people and just really see what certain chemistries are all about.”
After the episode aired, Nikki took to Instagram to share a cuddly photo of the two, addressing the status of their relationship and serving a not-so-subtle diss to the paparazzi who have been hounding them for months.
“Well after that season finale,” the E! personality wrote. “First thing I’ll be talking about this Wednesday…oh and all those paparazzi photos (thanks for the great shots and smashing my food lol).”
Photo credit: ABC/Adam Rose
