Last fall, WWE’s Carmella revealed she lost two pregnancies in the second half of 2022. This morning (May 1), Carmella told ABC’s Good Morning America that she & husband Corey Graves’s expecting their first child together this November.
Carmella (whose real name is Leah Van Dale) & husband Corey Graves (Matt Polinsky) learned she was pregnant in March. That lines up with when the former SmackDown Women’s champion stopped appearing on WWE television, prompting rumors about why. Thankfully, it seems the answer to that question is a happy one.
After their experiences last year, Mella told GMA that upon learning the news “it was hard to get excited off the bat,” but she was “cautiously optimistic”. A couple months later and despite some “crazy” morning sickness, the 35 year old says this pregnancy’s “been really good” so far.
“I’ve been nauseous. I’ve been so tired, more tired than I’ve ever been in my life. But I’ve never been so happy to feel so awful. I’ve been great, I mean mentally. It’s kind of this weird space where I’m excited, but also just a little apprehensive because of the miscarriages. It’s unfortunate that it robs you of the true excitement that should be there ... I mean, I took [additional pregnancy tests] for weeks just to make sure they still said positive. So it’s really just been such a mind work to get my head around. But the fact that I’m here, I’m on the other side of it, I’m almost out of the first trimester at this point ... it’s been quite a journey.”
Even as continues that journey, Carmella continues to share about the losses she & Graves experienced last year. She did so in her conversation with GMA, speaking on how she wants to help eliminate the shame women & couples feel when they live through miscarriages:
“It happens to a lot of women, and all you can do is be in it and go through it. Don’t push it down. You have to feel the feelings you have to feel ... otherwise it’s just going to be this thing you keep stuffing down that eventually will just explode.”
She credits her support system — especially Graves — for being there as she processed and lived through the traumatic parts of that journey. The time she’s taken away from WWE also helped her gain perspective:
“I think I’ve just focused so much on my career in the last 10 years that it made me forget the importance of life, and made me forget what truly matters. And at the end of the day that’s family … that time afforded me more quality time with my family, with my stepchildren. I got the opportunity to get to know them on a level that I never knew them before.”
We’ll eventually see what Carmella’s pro wrestling future looks like. For now, join us in sending congratulations to her, Corey, and their soon-to-be bigger family!
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