Entertainment

Nikki Bella Just Made Her Relationship With Artem Chigvintsev Instagram Official

by Marenah Dobin
Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images

Total Bellas viewers watched Nikki Bella navigate the single life all season long. Her family set her up on dates, notably with Bachelorette alum Peter Kraus. However, she's now dating someone she's known for a couple of years: her former Dancing With the Stars partner. Nikki Bella confirmed her relationship with Artem Chigvintsev in a March 24 Instagram post.

The WWE star made their relationship Instagram official when she posted a photo of her kissing the dancer on the cheek after the finale of Total Bellas that same night. Nikki wrote to her followers,

"Well after that season finale, first thing I’ll be talking about this Wednesday... oh and all those paparazzi photos."

No, there's not a new Total Bellas episode coming out soon that she can spill details during, but her Instagram bio does say, "The Bellas Total Podcast every Wednesdays." So, clearly she's probably going to share the scoop about the relationship on her own podcast. Up until this Instagram post, Nikki hadn't officially confirmed she was dating her longtime friend.

However, the news is not that surprising for anyone who's been paying attention. On March 11, TMZ published photos of the former Dancing With the Stars partners with their arms around each other and making out in public. It was only a matter of time before the reality TV vets confirmed their relationship.

During the March 24 Total Bellas episode, Nikki declared, "I just feel like this free spirit. Truly like a butterfly out of her cage. I don't know, I have this new level of excitement." And why was that? Could it be because of her new boyfriend?

In that same episode, Nikki revealed, "I'm ready to really explore new things and people and just really see what certain chemistries are all about." And then, the episode poetically ended with her getting on the back of Artem's motorcycle. That's quite the lead-in for the next Total Bellas season, or at the very least the debut for Nikki and Brie Bella's upcoming podcast. And of course, it's just great news for her life in general.

Since a lot of the last season focused on Nikki's new life as a single woman navigating the dating scene, it wouldn't make the most sense if she was super open about the relationship with Artem while new episodes aired. Technically speaking, anything that happens in the wrestler's personal life can be considered a "spoiler" for the show. But now, that this season is done and the sisters have a new podcast, can fans expect Nikki to be even more open about the romance? Only time will tell.

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However, it's pretty likely since Nikki is a reality TV star and she had no problem singing Artem's praises back in the day when they were only friends. In October 2017, Nikki shared a long paragraph along with some paparazzi photos on Instagram about the end of her run on Dancing With the Stars. In the post, she described Artem as "truly one of a kind." She also said he was "such a sweet, gentle soul." She also wrote,

"Thank you for pushing me beyond my limits, going so out of my comfort zone that I didn’t think it was possible, making me vulnerable, brave, and truly fearless."

Sometimes the best relationships are born from a foundation of friendship. Nikki and Artem had such a strong connection and respect for each other before they started dating, which means that they are off to a solid start now that they're Instagram official. Will they become reality TV official next? Will Artem appear on Total Bellas next season? Fans can only hope.