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John Cena explains why he doesn't have kids

The WWE star is married to artist Shay Shariatzadeh.
John Cena
John Cena is enjoying life with his wife, Shay Shariatzadeh.TODAY Illustration / Getty Images
/ Source: TODAY

John Cena, the most requested celebrity by kids in the Make-a-Wish Foundation, doesn’t see himself as a dad. 

Cena, who married artist Shay Shariatzadeh in October 2020, explained his reasoning on Monday’s episode of “The Drew Barrymore Show.”

“I really enjoy my life. I have been riding a lightening bolt for quite some time now. I have been given opportunities to do and see things that man, I didn’t even dream of, and I had some pretty lofty dreams,” the Cena shared.

But the actor and WWE legend noted that often he feels stretched. 

“It’s hard work. It’s hard work to balance the time I need to run myself correctly. It’s hard work to be the best partner and husband I can be to my loving wife,” he revealed. “It’s hard to keep connections with those in my life that I love.”

Shay Shariatzadeh and John Cena
Shay Shariatzadeh and John Cena posed together in 2020. Tibrina Hobson / FilmMagic

“I think just because you might be good at something, for me, is not a strong enough reason to do that,” Cena said Barrymore. “You have to have a passion for it. You have to have a fuel for it. It’s like saying to someone, ‘Man, you know you are a pretty good with your hands. You would be a great carpenter.’”

Cena was previously engaged to Nikki Bella. The former couple parted ways in 2018 after nearly six years together.

Bella said she ultimately split with Cena because never wanted him to “regret” having children with her.

“Even in the end when he was willing to give me kids, I could just tell it’s not what we wanted. And that’s really, like, you know, what pushed me in the end, was like, if I’m going to force someone to be a father,” the former WWE star revealed on the “Better Together with Maria Menounos” podcast.

Bella, 38, and her fiancé Artem Chigvintsey welcomed their first child, a boy named Matteo, in July 2020.

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