OMG, Nikki Bella & Artem Chigvintsev Secretly Got Engaged Last Year

Nikki Bella has once again traded in the wrestling ring for an engagement ring. Nikki Bella and Artem Chigvintsev are engaged, and Bella took to Instagram on Jan. 3 to share the big news. But here's the most shocking part: the WWE babe and her former Dancing With the Stars partner have already been engaged for months. "Excited for 2020 and the next decade with you @theartemc," Bella captioned the post. "I said yes in France in November! We have been trying to keep it a secret but really wanted to share our excitement for the New Year!"

Bella and Chigvintsev are old pros at keeping things on the down-low. Though they met back in 2017 when they were paired for DWTS, Bella was still in a relationship with John Cena at the time, to whom she was engaged twice before they officially split in July 2018. After going public with her new relationship in March 2019 during an episode of Total Bellas, an insider told Us Weekly that Bella and Chigvintsev had already been seeing each other "for a while." Soon after, Bella posted her first couples pic with the pro dancer on Insta, which showed her smooching her beau on the cheek.

Back in October 2019, Bella expressed apprehension about potentially getting engaged to Chigvintsev. "I’ll admit, having a public breakup can scar you," she told People, referring to the fact that her split with Cena was later broadcast on Total Bellas. "It scarred me a lot and that’s why at times, I’ll post Artem and then I won’t for a while." She went on to say that she was working on healing herself, and she must have overcome those fears, as she apparently said yes when Chigvintsev popped the question just a month later.

Soon after, the reality star got to meet Chigvintsev's parents and brother for the first time, admitting on the Dec. 4 episode of her Bellas podcast that she had been "really nervous" for the big moment. Luckily, the introduction seems to have gone well, despite the language barrier (as Chigvintsev's parents only speak Russian). "My parents love Nicole," Chigvintsev told People. "… They’ve been able to finally meet her in person, her to be able to see them, it was kind of a dream come true." Considering how fast their relationship has already progressed, I imagine it won't be much longer before these two are hearing wedding bell(a)s!