Fans of Nikki Bella, 36, and Artem Chigvintsev, 37, were ecstatic when the couple revealed their engagement on January 3 after less than a year of dating. The actual proposal, however, took place two months before. “I said yes in France in November!” she captioned the romantic Instagram snap. “We have been trying to keep it a secret but really wanted to share our excitement for the New Year!” Turns out the next big step in their relationship wasn’t too much of a surprise for their loved ones. “Nikki and Artem are so happy and in love,” a HollywoodLIfe source dished EXCLUSIVELY on January 3. “The engagement didn’t come as a huge shock to the family as they could see how happy Nikki has been and she wants to have children so as she gets older, they knew it was coming.”
The insider continued, “Nikki and Artem have been spending a lot of time in Arizona with her family. She lives really close to her siblings and they love the quieter life in between her hectic and chaotic schedule so they’ve been fixing up their home there and will probably end up spending more time in Arizona than in LA. They love it there.”
And yes, expect to hear wedding bells from these two very, very soon. “She’s got her eye on tying the knot in 2020 and can’t wait to marry Artem. Her family is so happy for her and they absolutely love Artem and he’s become so close with her entire family. He’s just the kindest, warmest guy and takes such great care of her,” the source concluded.
Somebody who doesn’t seem to be too phased by their engagement is Nikki’s hunky ex John Cena, 42. The WWE superstar was seen holding hands with his girlfriend Shay Shariatzadeh while leaving Montage Hotel in Beverly Hills, CA on January 3, just hours after Nikki & Artem announced their happy news via social media.