Nikki Bella has a cyst on her brain.
The ‘Total Bellas’ star and professional wrestler announced she was retiring from the WWE earlier this year, and has now revealed the difficult decision came as she has been battling ill health, including a “herniated disc”, and a cyst in her brain.
Speaking on ‘The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon’ alongside her twin sister Brie Bella on Wednesday, June 19, she said: “For me, I really wanted to go back and fight for the tag titles. I’ve always had my neck issues and after neck surgery, it hasn’t been OK. I feel like I needed to get a checkup before we went back for the tag titles.
“The results came back and I herniated the disc above where I had surgery, I have all this inflammation around the metal and then I have a cyst on my brain. They were like, ‘You’re done, no more,’ so I didn’t get a choice, which sucks.”
And the following day, the 35-year-old star explained to TMZ that the cyst is thankfully benign, but it has still been “scary” for her to deal with.
She told the outlet: “I can’t compete … They found a cyst on my brain, which thank god, it’s benign.
“It’s super scary, it’s something you’re never gonna hear but I’m so grateful. I’m grateful for my health, I’m grateful it’s benign. It’s something that you have to watch out for the rest of your life because you never know how it can change, but I’m definitely grateful because people go through it worse.”
Nikki is now encouraging others to head to the doctor for a check-up, especially when suspecting there may be something wrong.
She added: “Trust your gut; if you don’t feel right, go get it handled!”
Whilst she may be out of the ring for now, Nikki hasn’t given up hope, and plans on returning to wrestling if her condition improves.
She said: “I believe in miracles, you never know! We’ll see what the man upstairs has in store for me.”