In a recent appearance on CBS sports In This Corner podcast, Nikki Bella talked about incorporating her real-life personal issues into WWE storylines. The former women’s champion reveals that she is still dealing with her very public breakup with fellow superstar John Cena, and how she’s had to restrain herself from breaking down on more than one occasion.

There is definitely an emotional price to pay bringing it. I don’t think the fans understand what we give them because at the end of the day we are still human beings so stuff still hurts, it can still make us very emotional. To be honest, this comeback was so soon for me to come back because very much my happy place I was able to share it with someone, but this was for the women, this was for WWE Evolution, so that was why I had to come back. There was a part of me where, when I had said yes, I wondered if I could handle it. At the end of the day I am a woman who went through a public breakup and it still affects me.

It has taken…I am not even lying, so much meditation to be able to hold my chin up high when I walk into the building and bite my lip and not want to cry when I see that man’s (Cena) face everywhere I turn. Whether it is on a truck, on a poster, so we do pay for that, but at the end of the day I love what I do and I want to sell a pay per view and I want to have an amazing match. I want to have an amazing story going into it, I do it for the fans. Whether they like it or not I do it for them. I do it for the Bella Army. Thing is, when you guys have a hard day at work you tune into us to escape where you can get lost into your imagination and let me get lost with my superheroes and villains, and that is the sacrifices we make for you guys. Look at Joe [Roman Reigns]. Joe can’t wait to fight so he can get back into the ring and perform for you, which is what makes WWE Superstars so beautiful so you know, we kind of put this protective shell in front of us, and whether or not it hurts, we just want to give it our best performance.