Nikki Garcia Tells Us About Her Next Chapter
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00:00We decided to put Nikki Garcia on our cover this week.
00:02While the wrestling superstar's year didn't end the way she had planned,
00:06she's looking forward to finding moments of joy in 2025 and has taught us how to stay strong
00:11in even the darkest of times. Garcia sat down with us in her first interview post-divorce,
00:17after what were the most difficult few months of her life.
00:20In 2019, shortly after calling off her engagement to fellow WWE wrestler John Cena,
00:25Garcia reconnected with her Dancing With The Stars partner Artem.
00:29For what would be a whirlwind romance.
00:32By November, the two were engaged and soon welcomed son Mateo, who is now four.
00:37They wed in summer 2022 and seemed to have a solid marriage,
00:42as Garcia would often make headlines for her TMI confessions about their chemistry in the bedroom.
00:47But just days after their second wedding anniversary last August,
00:50police were called to their Napa Valley, California home,
00:53following an alleged altercation between them.
00:56Artem was arrested and booked on felony domestic violence charges,
01:00though the Napa County District Attorney's Office ultimately declined to file charges.
01:05In the weeks that followed, Garcia filed for divorce and the two submitted
01:09temporary restraining orders against each other.
01:11They went on to settle their divorce and agreed to drop the domestic violence restraining orders
01:15in an effort to move on with their lives and effectively co-parent their son.
01:19At the time, Garcia did the smart thing.
01:21She took a much needed break to process it all and grieve the end of her marriage.
01:27She stepped away from social media,
01:28took a three month hiatus from her podcast that she hosts with her twin sister Brie.
01:32And instead, she focused on being a mom and how she was going to heal and move on
01:37with her next chapter.
01:38Now that the fog has started to lift, she tells us,
01:41I'm definitely finding more moments of joy.
01:44She feels stronger every day and is excited for her new era.
01:49She said that she is taking time to date herself, telling us,
01:52I have days where I get to focus a lot on me and self-care and just
01:57really get to know who I am in my 40s.
01:59I feel like I have this whole new era to look at.
02:02I get to choose how I want to be and where to take it.
02:06Though she's saying she can see herself falling in love again,
02:09she doesn't think it will be anytime soon.
02:10There's also a potential for a WWE return.
02:13The wrestling legend made a surprise return to the ring on January 6th,
02:17appearing on an episode of Raw.
02:18She teased to Us,
02:20To get Nikki Bella back full time, I don't even think it would take a lot,
02:23because I think there's definitely a lot of passion there.
02:26When I think about returning to WWE, it makes me giddy.
02:30As for her future, she tells us her dream is to continue thriving in her career while
02:34being the best mom possible and just having a life filled with happiness and love,
02:39something we can all aspire to.
02:42For the full exclusive sit down with Nikki, head to usmagazine.com
02:46or pick up The Issue on newsstands.