10 Shocking Celebrity Engagements That Ended in Heartbreak: John Cena and Nikki Bella, Plus More

Hollywood has seen its fair share of enviable on-screen romances, but not all celebrity couples have been fortunate enough to walk down the aisle in real life. One such couple is John Cena and Nikki Bella, who rose to fame as WWE's "It Couple" when they went public with their relationship in 2012. Although the two got engaged in 2017, they officially announced their split to We in April 2018. Despite briefly reuniting, Cena and Bella ultimately ended their relationship for good in July of the same year.

In the January/February 2020 issue of Health magazine, she expressed her regret about how the breakup was portrayed on her show Total Bellas. She felt that it was one-sided and unfair to John because his voice wasn't heard. She also mentioned that people may not realize that John never took a paycheck from Total Bellas and was fully supportive throughout their journey together.

Despite their relationship not working out, Cena and Bella found happiness in their own separate ways. Cena quietly married Shay Shariatzadeh in October 2020, while Bella tied the knot with Dancing With the Stars pro Artem Chigvintsev in 2022.

Scroll down to see which stars have called off their engagements over the years:

Despite Hollywood's many iconic on-screen romances, not all celebrity couples have been fortunate enough to tie the knot in real life. John Cena and Nikki Bella were hailed as WWE's "It Couple" when they made their relationship public in 2012. After getting engaged in 2017, they announced their split exclusively to We in April 2018. Although they briefly reconciled, Cena and Bella ultimately ended their relationship for good in July of the same year.

"The regret I have about sharing the breakup on my show Total Bellas is that John's perspective wasn't heard, resulting in a one-sided portrayal," she explained to Health magazine in its January/February 2020 issue. "I felt it was unfair to him because he was there with us from the very beginning. What people may not realize is that John never accepted any payment from Total Bellas. It was truly wonderful – he was completely dedicated to supporting me."

Although Cena and Bella's relationship did not work out, they were able to find their own happily ever after. In October 2020, Cena quietly married Shay Shariatzadeh. Meanwhile, Bella exchanged vows with Dancing With the Stars professional Artem Chigvintsev in 2022.

Scroll down to see which stars have called off their engagements over the years:

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Jason Tartick and Kaitlyn Bristowe

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Chase Chrisley and Emmy Medders

Chrisley made a public announcement on his Instagram Stories in July 2023, revealing that he and Medders had made the decision to end their engagement. "There has been a lot of curiosity about Emmy and me. We have both mutually agreed to go our separate ways and embrace new chapters in our lives. We appreciate your understanding and respect for our privacy at this time."

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Gabby Windey and Erich Schwer

Windey and Schwer became engaged during season 19 of The Bachelorette. However, just a month after the season finale aired, Windey was noticed without her engagement ring, which led to speculation that they had ended their relationship. During her participation in Dancing With the Stars in November 2022, the former cheerleader confirmed the breakup. She expressed her gratitude for being able to handle the situation on her own terms and when she felt ready. The whole experience of being in the public eye and unexpectedly thrust into this relationship had been new to her, but now she is focused on moving forward.

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“Although this past year has brought us incredible moments, we have come to the realization that it is in our best interest to take different paths,” the former couple stated in a message to Us. “We deeply appreciate the knowledge, personal development, and cherished memories we have gained throughout our time together.”

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Michelle Young and Nayte Olukoya

The couple became engaged during season 18 of The Bachelorette, but just six months after their proposal episode aired, they revealed that they had broken up.

In June 2022, the person from Minnesota, who was a part of the show, expressed gratitude towards everyone who had supported them, including Bachelor Nation. They acknowledged that being in a relationship in the public eye had been challenging. They also struggled to announce that they were going their separate ways but stood together in recognizing the emotional weight that both of them carried, as their relationship had been genuine for both individuals.

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“I wish only the best for this person and I will always be there for her. I love you,” Mascolo wrote via Instagram at the time.

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Amber Riley and Desean Black

Glee actress, Riley, and her fiancé ended their relationship in March 2022 after being engaged for over a year.

During an interview on the "Nice & Neat" podcast, Riley expressed her well wishes for her former partner, stating, "I genuinely hope for the best for him. I have nothing negative to say."

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Demi Moore and Emilio Estevez

The St. Elmo’s Fire costars became engaged in 1985 following a two-year on-and-off relationship. Their planned wedding for 1986 eventually ended in 1987. Coincidentally, it was during this same year that she tied the knot with her now-former spouse Bruce Willis. Together, they share three daughters named Rumor, Scout, and Tallulah.

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Sandra Bullock and Tate Donovan

Bullock and Donovan began dating and got engaged after filming their 1992 movie, Love Potion No. 9. They split in 1994.

Johnny Depp and Winona Ryder

Following their encounter in 1990, the couple embarked on a romantic journey and after five months, they decided to take their relationship to the next level by getting engaged. Depp's deep affection for Ryder was demonstrated through a permanent symbol of devotion, a tattoo inscribed with the words, "Winona Forever." However, their love story concluded in 1993 when the couple went their separate ways.

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Jennifer Aniston and Tate Donovan

Donovan has also become engaged to another former costar, Aniston, in addition to Bullock. The couple, who starred together on the hit series Friends in the late 1990s, were in a relationship for three years before parting ways in 1998.

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Katie Holmes and Chris Klein

The adorable pair got engaged in 2003 following three years of being in a relationship. However, two years down the line, they decided to call off the engagement. Surprisingly, just eight weeks later, she found herself engaged to her former spouse, Tom Cruise.

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Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck

The couple first crossed paths in 2002 during their collaboration on the film Gigli. Affleck proposed later that same year, however, their wedding plans were abruptly halted just days before the scheduled September 2003 ceremony due to overwhelming media scrutiny. In January 2004, the actors formally ended their relationship.

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Sheryl Crow and Lance Armstrong

After being in a relationship for three years, with six of those months spent engaged, the couple publicly revealed their decision to break up in February 2006. Armstrong later acknowledged that the intense pressure associated with her ticking biological clock became the breaking point in their relationship. However, Crow proved to be resilient as she embarked on a journey to become a mother. In 2007, she welcomed her first adopted son into her life, and in 2010, she expanded her family by adopting another child.

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Sienna Miller and Jude Law

Following their engagement in 2004, the Alfie costars encountered a public apology from Law for his infidelity with the nanny of his children. Despite a brief break in their engagement in 2006, they managed to reconcile in 2009, only to permanently separate in 2011.

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Alanis Morissette and Ryan Reynolds

After two years of dating, the Canadian stars got engaged in 2004. However, their split was officially announced in February 2007. Following the breakup, Ryan Reynolds went on to tie the knot with Blake Lively in 2012, whereas Alanis Morissette married hip-hop artist Souleye in 2010.

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Jennifer Morrison and Jesse Spencer

On August 15, 2007, the House costars decided to end their engagement and issued a joint statement expressing their enduring closeness and commitment to working together. Spencer, who had proposed to Morrison during the holiday season at the iconic Eiffel Tower in Paris, had revealed that it took him half a year to gather the courage to ask Morrison for her hand in marriage.

Selita Ebanks and Nick Cannon

In May 2007, Cannon proposed to the Victoria's Secret model in the bustling Times Square of NYC, utilizing a jumbotron for added grandeur. Unfortunately, just five months later, they decided to part ways in order to prioritize their respective careers.

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Kerry Washington and David Moscow

The Scandal star ended her engagement with the actor in 2007 after dating for four years.

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Alexis Phifer and Kanye West

According to an insider familiar with the situation, Kanye West and Alexis Phifer, who ended their six-year relationship in April 2008, are still on good terms. The source shared that West's inability to maintain the relationship ultimately led to the split. However, given their history of breaking up and reconciling in the past, there is a possibility of them getting back together. Notably, West had proposed to Phifer during a romantic trip to Italy in 2006, expressing his desire to make their relationship official as a way to honor his late mother's wishes.

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Nicollette Sheridan and Michael Bolton

The couple called it quits in August 2008, putting an end to their two-year engagement. After dating for five years from 1992, the couple got back together following Sheridan's breakup with her fiancé, Nicklas Soderblom, in 2005.

Karina Smirnoff and Maksim Chmerkovskiy

After getting engaged on New Year's Eve in 2008, the Dancing With the Stars pros called it quits the next September.

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Jennifer Love Hewitt and Ross McCall

In January 2009, the actress from the popular TV series Ghost Whisperer made the decision to cancel her wedding with the actor from Scotland, despite already purchasing a wedding dress and finalizing the details for their destination wedding in spring 2009. "We are currently figuring things out," McCall commented on their eventful engagement. "Both of us are still wearing our engagement rings."

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Melissa Rycroft and Jason Mesnick

The outcome wasn't as pleasant for Bachelor finalist Rycroft. According to a report by Us in March 2009, after giving the final rose, accompanied by a 3.1-carat Neil Lane ring, to the former Dallas Cowboys cheerleader in the finale, he surprised viewers by ending the relationship six weeks later in a recorded special. He then decided to give his connection with rejected finalist Molly Malaney another chance.

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Jake Pavelka and Vienna Girardi

Following a highly publicized romance and a six-month engagement, the pair went their separate ways in June 2010. The couple, popular among fans of The Bachelor, had been experiencing relationship troubles for a while, with disagreements ranging from his perceived lack of affection to her overindulged pet.

Kristin Cavallari and Jay Cutler

Following a three-month engagement in 2011, the player from the Chicago Bears experienced a change of heart. Inside sources close to Cavallari revealed that she was taken aback by Cutler's unexpected decision, which he later confirmed through his Facebook account. However, they eventually reconciled and tied the knot in June 2013. Regrettably, they made the announcement of their separation in April 2020. Their family includes sons Camden and Jaxon, along with a daughter named Saylor.

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Brad Womack and Emily Maynard

The couple got engaged during The Bachelor's 15th season, but after postponing their wedding date, Maynard decided in May 2011 that Womack wasn't The One.

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Kat Von D and Jesse James

In 2011, the L.A. Ink tattoo artist took to Twitter to announce the end of her relationship with Jesse, her fiance. She kindly requested that only the following information be shared: "I am no longer with Jesse, and out of respect for him, his family and myself, that's all the info I'd like to share. Thanks for respecting that."

Zoe Saldana and Keith Britton

The relationship between the exes came to an end in November 2011 after 11 years together. Reflecting on their journey, she shared, "He wasn't ready for parenthood for a long time. Then, when he finally felt ready, I was unable to make it happen. I never postponed anything in the hopes of a change in circumstances. Thinking too far ahead isn't something I do." These words were spoken during Amanda de Cadenet's The Conversation on Lifetime in the following year. She further added, "The desire to have a baby was strong within me, and I yearned for it. Nevertheless, I understood and respected his decision to wait, which ultimately proved to be a very mature choice." Subsequently, Saldana went on to have three sons with her husband, Italian artist Marco Perego, with whom she tied the knot in June 2013.

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Britney Spears and Jason Trawick

The pop star and the former CAA agent called off their engagement in January 2012 after being together for over a year. Spears expressed her continued admiration for him and assured that they would remain great friends, while Trawick acknowledged the end of this chapter and the beginning of a new one. He conveyed his love and appreciation for Spears and her children, emphasizing their lasting bond.

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Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth

Cyrus and Hemsworth started dating after meeting on the set of their 2010 film, The Last Song. They got engaged in 2012, but their relationship ended. However, they rekindled their romance in 2016 and became engaged again in October of that year. In December 2018, they surprised everyone by revealing that they had gotten married. Unfortunately, their marriage didn't last long and they decided to divorce after less than eight months. The divorce was finalized in January 2020.

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Naya Rivera and Big Sean

In April 2014, the Glee alum and rapper made the announcement that they were ending their relationship, just six months after getting engaged. At the time, his representative informed Us that Sean had made the tough decision to cancel the wedding after much thought and consideration. Despite the split, Sean still held hopes of resolving their issues in private and wished Naya all the best. No further comments on the matter were given.

Robin Wright and Ben Foster

In November 2014, our exclusive sources confirmed that the couple decided to end their relationship. "Last Christmas, she became caught up in the engagement, but then their busy schedules caused things to become chaotic, and she realized it wasn't the right choice," revealed an insider. The 14-year gap between them only exacerbated the situation. Another source added, "The significant age difference ultimately became too much to handle. Ben was somewhat immature, and she reached a point where she couldn't tolerate him any longer." Subsequently, he went on to marry Laura Prepon in June 2018.

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Sean Penn and Charlize Theron

The A-list movie stars began dating in December 2013 after Penn’s divorce from Robin Wright. Though they got engaged after a year together, they split in June 2015.

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Steven McQueen and Alexandra Silva

In May 2018, the actor famous for The Vampire Diaries informed Us exclusively that he and the model had ended their engagement four months after he proposed. Speaking at the Voices In Displacement Gala, he disclosed, "Actually, we called it off. But yeah, that's just how it happened."

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Ariana Grande and Pete Davidson

The former duo’s whirlwind romance began in May 2018, and they got engaged the following month. They announced that October that they had parted ways.

Michelle Williams and Chad Johnson

After being engaged for approximately nine months since March 2018, the famous Destiny's Child singer and her pastor fiancé decided to go their separate ways and cancel their engagement. In December 2018, the musician took to her Instagram Story to express her thoughts, stating, "I continue to embrace fearlessness, even in the face of being single once more! Unfortunately, things didn't work out as planned." She also mentioned the necessity for healing before entering another relationship, while sending blessings to her ex-partner, his loved ones, and his ministry. #FEARLESS.

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Dylan McDermott and Maggie Q

The Stalker costars sparked dating rumors in 2014 and got engaged in 2015, but they ended their four-year engagement in 2019.

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Parr also noted that Odom “has some things that he alone has to work through.”

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Demi Lovato and Max Ehrich

The actor from The Young and the Restless proposed in July 2020, only four months after news broke that they were dating. Sadly, their relationship came to an end by September 2020.

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Liam Payne and Maya Henry

In January 2021, the singer from the band One Direction officially announced the end of his engagement with Henry. Although the couple had previously gotten engaged in August 2020, they decided to revive their relationship during the summer of 2021.

The former couple, who had previously denied breakup rumors one month prior, officially announced their separation in April 2021. In a statement to the Today show, they expressed that they have come to the realization that they are better off as friends and are looking forward to maintaining that relationship. They also conveyed their well wishes for each other and their respective children. Additionally, they expressed gratitude for the kind words and support they have received, while respecting their privacy by refraining from further comment. The former MLB player and the Hustlers actress began dating in 2017 and became engaged two years later.

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Clare Crawley and Dale Moss

The season 16 Bachelorette called it quits with her suitor in January 2021, shortly after their proposal aired on television. Despite a brief reconciliation, the couple ultimately ended their relationship for good in September of the same year.

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Raquel Leviss and James Kennedy

The Vanderpump Rules stars announced in December 2021 that they called off their engagement seven months after Kennedy proposed. The pair dated for five years before splitting.

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Shailene Woodley and Aaron Rodgers

In July 2020, there were initial speculations about the romantic involvement between them and it was officially confirmed by Us in February 2021 that they were indeed dating. Shortly after, the Green Bay Packers quarterback announced his engagement in February 2021, a confirmation that was later echoed by Woodley. Regrettably, the relationship was not meant to last, as it was disclosed by Us in February 2022 that they had decided to separate.