Strange Things About Nikki Bella's Relationship

Nikki Bella is happily engaged to Artem Chigvintsev with a baby on the way. The way the two look at each other on dates (they have total heart-eyes, for real) is enough to make even the more cynical viewer swoon. However, that's not to say the couple hasn't had their ups and downs, which have sometimes been portrayed on Nikki and twin sister Brie's E! reality series, Total Bellas.

Take, for instance, the time on the show that Nikki and Artem were supposed to be out on a date, and she went off and brazenly flirted with other men right in front of him, according to The Daily Mail's recap. Needless to say, Artem was pissed, she was defensive, and they almost called it quits. Fortunately — and clearly — they worked things out, but that's not the only odd moment they've experienced in their relationship.

As we dug a little deeper, we found out several strange things about Nikki and Artem's romance. Read on to find out.

Nikki Bella and Artem Chigvintsev first met in 2017 when they were paired together on Season 25 of Dancing With The Stars. Together, they danced the tango, the samba, a waltz, and more, with their chemistry lighting up on-screen and across the dance floor.

However, at the time, Nikki was engaged to her longtime boyfriend, fellow professional wrestler John Cena. In fact, according to E! News, Nikki was in search of a dance routine that the two could perform at their wedding reception — that's how far away her mind was from any thoughts of starting a romance with Artem.

"I never would have thought even when Artem and I were dancing... we had incredible chemistry, but I never once thought that he would one day be my boyfriend," she shared (via E! News), gushing that they had an "amazing friendship."

Nikki Bella and John Cena called off their engagement in April 2018. In March 2019, the reality star seemed to confirm months of Artem Chigvintsev romance rumors when she posted a photo on Instagram kissing him on the cheek. But she was super specific about their relationship on The Bellas Podcast (via People), revealing that while they're "dating," "we are not engaged, we are not married, we're not boyfriend and girlfriend, we don't say, 'I love you.'"

She later stressed this notion once again after she and Artem attended Val Chmerkovskiy and Jenna Johnson's wedding. "I posted a lot with Artem. We did really cute snaps. I was his date, right, we're dating," she explained (via People). But then everywhere it says, 'Nikki Bella and boyfriend Artem' — and I'm like, 'Wait, boyfriend? Why are there labels? Why are they doing that?'"

Of course, they eventually went on to officially confirm their couple status, revealing in July 2019 that they were in an exclusive relationship. They later got engaged in November 2019, announcing the exciting news in January 2020 via Instagram.

Despite their outward affection and immense love for one another, both Nikki Bella and Artem Chigvintsev's families had doubts about their loved one's partner at first. As seen on Total Bellas, Nikki's dad questioned Artem about if his relationship with Nikki was real (to which he replied, "Of course").

Nikki's mom brought things to a whole different level when she talked to Nikki about cutting Artem out of one of their family photos, as per another Total Bellas episode. "I question sometimes if Nicole's really taken her relationship seriously. That's the reason I'm more cautious with Artem," her mom said in the ep (via Us Weekly).

Artem's mom had her own precautions as well, he revealed during an interview with Access Hollywood. When Nikki and Artem traveled to visit his family, he explained that his mom was worried that the wrestler was going to be a diva due to her social media presence, but she was pleasantly surprised. All's well that end's well.