Health

EXCLUSIVE: Why Total Bellas stars Nikki and Brie are the ultimate sister act

The former pro wrestlers stars are preparing to give birth just days (yep, days!) apart
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Sisters Brie and Nikki Bella have always been the ultimate team. The 36-year-olds first found fame as the glam pro wrestling duo The Bella Twins, and now co-star in their very own reality show Total Bellas. Talk about a glow up!

But that’s not even the wildest part of their lives. Nikki and her fiancé, dancer Artem Chigventsev, 37, are expecting their first baby to be born just days after Brie and her hubby, pro wrestler Daniel Bryan, 39, are due to welcome a sibling for their three-year-old daughter Birdie!

“We’re literally due a week and a half apart,” Nikki happily reveals. “Brie’s due July 27th and I’m due August 5th.”

The sisters have been supporting each other through quarantine.

(Image: Instagram)

And while the COVID-19 pandemic has brought challenges that no one could have prepared for, the twins – who became next door neighbours when Nikki and Artem relocated to Arizona last year – have been supporting each other in self-isolation. Cute, right?!

When they’re not cooking up a storm together or discussing future projects, you can find Nikki and Brie working out together. They’ll stream a Pure Barre session together or simply walk around the block a few times.

And it’s brought them closer than ever!

“The one thing I’ve really realised is I don’t get sick of my sister,” says Nikki. “I mean we have our moments but we’ve been trying to keep it positive and keep each other uplifted.”

Read on for our exclusive chat!

It will be the first bub for Nikki and her fiance, dancer Artem Chigventsev

(Image: E!)

NW: Congratulations on your pregnancies! How are you both feeling at the moment?

BRIE: The situation the world’s in certainly brings a lot of anxiety and uncertainty but because have each other we’ve really been helping one another to just stay calm and positive. So right now it’s been a bit crazy but other than that we’re both really good.

NW: What things have you been doing to support each other through self-isolation?

NIKKI: Because we’re next door neighbours we’ve just been in full isolation together. We do coffee every morning, we take turns of who’s going to cook dinner.

BRIE: It’s so funny because we didn’t realise [we’d be going into long term self-isolation]. But now with everything happening, it’s [not the worst] thing because we have each other and it’s really what’s getting us through.

NIKKI: I have to say it’s such a blessing for me for my first pregnancy. I look at [Bella’s daughter] Birdie and I love the little girl she’s becoming and how she’s been raised so I look at Brie as my encyclopedia. Being in the situation that we are in, it can be very uneasy. To have Brie and be able to go through this with her helps calm me.

Brie is expecting her second child with her hubby, pro wrestler Daniel Bryan

(Image: E!)

NW: So you’re both fans of Pure Barre classes?

BRIE: Nikki and I have been obsessed with Pure Barre for so long. It’s a workout where you’re stretching, lengthening, building muscle and then at the same time you’re working on your abs so we felt like it’s a total body workout that every woman needs.

NIKKI: [I got into Pure Barre] when I broke my neck and it helped me recover from that. I knew that I couldn’t really do the heavy lifting workouts anymore. That’s when I got into the Pure Barre and it’s honestly made me look the best I’ve ever looked. For someone like me that’s had so many surgeries it’s such a low impact on your body but focuses so much on your core muscles.

The girls swear by Pure Barre to stay in shape

(Image: Instagram)

NW: How do your approaches to diet differ?

BRIE: My husband and I are very healthy people and we don’t eat meat – we haven’t for six years. [As a vegetarian] you definitely need to make sure you eat lots of grains, fruit and vegetables and know how to cook them. You’ve just got to get creative. It takes time to cook plant based meals.

NIKKI: I eat meat but I do a lot of research on whatever it is I’m eating. I make sure it’s raised appropriately, treated appropriately and that it’s organic. I don’t eat red meat a lot, but when it comes to chicken or turkey Artem and I are both very picky about where we get our meat, how it’s been raised and all that.

Brie and Nikki have their own clothing label, Birdiebee

(Image: Instagram)

NW: What can we expect to see in the new season of Total Bellas?

NIKKI: You know Brie and I are just trying to go through this journey of life, where we’re at in our relationships and with family so it’s a really good season. It’s very, very relatable and of course as always there’s a lot of fun sprinkled in – becauses we’re Bellas!

Catch Total Bellas on E! via Foxtel or Fetch, Wednesdays at 7:30pm.

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