WWE superstar John Cena and former Divas champ Nikki Bella are calling it quits — just one year after he proposed to her at WrestleMania.
“While this decision was a difficult one, we continue to have a great deal of love and respect for one another,” the wrestling couple told Us Weekly in a statement on Sunday.
“We ask that you respect our privacy during this time in our lives,” they said.
Cena, 40, and Bella, 34, had been dating since 2012 and were very open about their relationship.
“Don’t ever think that love is easy,” Cena told Us Weekly last month. “Love is beautiful, but we’ve had to come to the realization after being together for five years that love is not easy.
“We work every day on us,” Cena added. “We have our problems just like everybody else. Some of our problems are very public, some of them aren’t. But we work every day on us. Anytime I get upset, I always just realize that I can’t live without her and I love her and that’s why I cave in on a lot of stuff.”
Cena had popped the question to Bella last year at WrestleMania 33 — in the middle of the ring — following a mixed tag team match they had against WWE superstars The Miz and Maryse.
The couple was last spotted together in New Orleans on April 8 during WrestleMania 34.
“We were together. I forget the rest,” Cena wrote Sunday on Instagram.
A post from Saturday featured a picture of a heart made out of shattered glass.
On Sunday night, Cena posted a meme saying “Worst Day Ever!” It came less than an hour after Us Weekly popped the statement about his split from Bella.
“Relationships are hard,” Cena said while speaking to the magazine last month.
“It takes being able to mesh two lives,” he added. “I would never ever want Nicole to be in a position where she says, ‘I’m holding you back from doing this because I feel it’s wrong for us.’ And I would never say that to her. That’s why she’s super busy and sometimes we don’t see each other for months at a time, but when we do see each other, it’s our time together. I think, for now at least, that is certainly what’s making this work.”
Nikki Bella 'Devastated' Over John Cena Split: 'He Never Should’ve Proposed,' Source Says
Nikki Bella is “heartbroken” and “devastated” by her split from John Cena just weeks before they were set to tie the knot.
Although Cena, 40, admitted in the past that he didn’t want to get married again — he was previously married to Elizabeth Huberdeau from 2009 until 2012 — he got down on one knee and proposed to Bella in April 2017. However, a source tells PEOPLE that he started getting cold feet as the wedding date drew near.
“She never gave him an ultimatum. He talked a really good game about having changed, about having his priorities straight, about knowing what’s important, and that it was her. But as the day got closer, it was like he just went back to who he’s always been — which is someone who puts himself first, always,” the insider says. “He’s an incredibly dedicated, driven, ambitious guy. And for the longest time he said he didn’t think he had room in his life for a spouse or kids. It seems like in the end that was still the truth.”
The source continues, “But in that case, he never should’ve proposed, let alone in front of millions of people. Now she’s heartbroken.”
Bella is “devastated,” the source says, adding, “This was supposed to be the happiest time of her life. He ruined it and blew everything up.”
John Cena and Nikki Bella
The professional wrestlers’ wedding was set for May 5 in Mexico, where Bella was excited to celebrate her heritage with family and friends.
“It wasn’t going to be some showy Hollywood, over-the-top glitzy thing,” the source tells PEOPLE.
RELATED VIDEO: John Cena — Who Previously Didn’t Want Kids — Says Playing a Parent ‘Certainly Changed’ His Perspective
Hardship, loss, and humility are extremely difficult waters to navigate, but perseverance thru them builds a strength to withstand anything life throws your way.— John Cena (@JohnCena) April 16, 2018