Why John Cena Isn't Sure He's Ready for Kids With Wife Shay Shariatzadeh
John Cena loves connecting with kids — but that doesn’t mean the actor and wife Shay Shariatzadeh are ready for children of their own.
Famous Fathers Who Had Kids Late in Life
“It’s hard work to balance the time I need to run myself correctly,” the professional wrestler, 44, explained to Drew Barrymore on the Monday, January 17, episode of her CBS show. “It’s work to be the best partner and husband I can be to my loving wife. It’s hard to keep connections with those in my life that I love. And it’s also hard to put in an honest day’s work.”
Although the Drew Barrymore Show host, 46, pointed out that the Massachusetts native is “great” with children, he replied, “You have to have passion for it. You have to have fuel for it. It’s like saying to someone, ‘Man, you know, you’re pretty good with your hands, you’d be a great carpenter,’ but if I want to be an actor, I’ll be an actor.”
The athlete’s comments came one year after Cena wed Shariatzadeh, 32, in Florida. The Peacemaker star was previously in a relationship with Nikki Bella until the duo ended their engagement in April 2018.
John Cena and Nikki Bella: A Timeline of Their Relationship
The former couple disagreed on having children prior to their split. One month after their breakup, Cena told Today show cohosts that he wanted to reconcile and was ready to “be the father of her children.”
The former rapper went on to tell TMZ in June 2018 that he “would love to be a dad,” gushing, “I realize very much that I have been steadfast in saying that I don’t want children. But I’m a little bit older now, a bit wiser. At age 18, we say things different at age 25, at 35. I would love it only because I dedicated my life to my work and now I’m realizing that there is life and life exists and it’s beautiful and I think part of that is being a parent, so we’ll see.”
Nikki Bella and Artem Chigvintsev's Son Matteo's Baby Album
The Total Bellas star told Extra that she was “speechless” over her ex’s statement, and they briefly reconciled. The E! personality moved on with Dancing With the Stars‘ Artem Chigvintsev, and the engaged couple welcomed son Matteo, now 17 months, in July 2020.
After the California native gave birth, Cena reached out to his ex and her twin sister, Brie Bella, who welcomed son Buddy, also 17 months, in August 2020. “We haven’t had an individual conversation in, gosh, I don’t know how long, but it was very short and sweet!” Nikki exclusively told Us in November 2020.
