Artem Chigvintsev and Nikki Bella.Photo: Rodin Eckenroth/Getty
Nearly six months after theirromantic wedding in Paris,Nikki BellaandArtem Chigvintsevhave dedicated themselves to maintaining a lasting marriage.
Even though the two finally got their fairy-tale ending when they said “I do” last August, Bella exclusively tells PEOPLE that the couple recognizes they still must consciously put in the effort to nurture their relationship.
“My life coach was saying … ‘You should have weekly check-ins,'” says Bella, 39, while chatting about Thursday’s premiere of the E! specialNikki Bella Says I Do. “She has told me how many marriages it has strengthened to have that, just weekly check-in on ‘How are you? How are we? What’s going on? What are you feeling? What do you like? What don’t you like? What can we do better?’ I think stuff that’s really important.”
In fact, Bella had a check-in with theDancing With the Starspro, 40, as recently as New Year’s Eve.
“We knew we weren’t going to go out that night, so we had a sitter for lunchtime. That was our New Year’s celebration — we just checked in with each other,” she explains. “Even at times when it can get heated, I feel like I understood him more. I was like, ‘That’s something I need to take with me’ when I heard about the weekly check-ins.”
She continues, “I think it’s so important for a relationship to keep it strong and going. Because it also gives you the opportunity of even what you want for sexy time or fun time. It’s not just about making the person better, telling them how they can be better. It’s abouteverythingin the relationship.”
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This approach has not limited the pair from enjoying a relationship filled with passion.
“We still get butterflies for each other,” she says. “Our sex life is incredible. … It is really good. It’s good that we still get all giddy with each other, which is fun.”
Another key element to keeping their relationship on track is making time for date nights, though doing so is not without its challenges. The duo has to balance setting aside special time with each other alongside caring for their 2-year-old son.
“It is tough withMatteo, date nights, because then you’re relying on the nanny,” explains Chigvintsev. “And then being new parents, it’s like we always question 75 things and we always feel guilty. But the date nights are just going out for a good meal.”
Adds Bella, “That, and then when Mateo goes down we like to open a bottle of wine, bingeLove Island. That’s our fun night.”
Bella and Chigvintsev’s journey to the altar will be featured in the four-part E! specialNikki Bella Says I Do. Because fans of the former wrestler got to see many of Bella’s most personal moments on her formerTotal Bellasseries, she wants them to be apart of her wedding experience as well.
“My fans mean a lot to me, the Bella Army, the E! viewers that have just been a part of my journey from day one. They’ve been through so much with me, ups and downs, amazing moments, barrier-breaking moments, making history,” she says. “To not give them the perfect ending, and what they’ve been behind me for and hoping for, I feel like I was cheating my fans.”
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Nikki Bella Says I Doairs Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET on E!
source: people.com
