In October, Carmella revealed she was treated for an ectopic pregnancy.
Carmella had not wrestled since August 2022 before returning to the ring in February 2023.
Joining her husband Corey Graves and Kevin Patrick on WWE After The Bell, Carmella opened up about her hiatus and ectopic pregnancy.
Carmella: I was dealing with an ectopic pregnancy, which means that the pregnancy was not viable and I couldn't move forward with it. It's actually something that you [Graves] and I learned together, is something that is very dangerous and something that a lot of women don't make it through. I feel very fortunate. My friends, family, no one realized just how extreme this is. My husband included...
Corey Graves: ...Myself included. This is something we've had multiple discussions about. In the moment, I had heard the phrase 'ectopic pregnancy,' I googled it, I got a definition for what it was. I had no idea, even as your husband, this was my pregnancy as well, I didn't realize the magnitude of what that is. I know you've done a lot of work and research and you've connected with a lot of people on this subject and it turns out that it's a relatively common thing that a lot of people deal with that sometimes aren't necessarily open to talk about.
Carmella: I wouldn't say it's common, it actually only happens to six percent of pregnancies, which is crazy to think about. I'm so grateful I listened to my body. There was a moment where, I wasn't sure what was happening, my stomach was killing me, I asked you to take me to the emergency room, we're in the emergency room....
Graves: I'm not proud of this now. She asked me to take her to the emergency room and I went, 'Why?' I didn't get it. Maybe to your point, it's not that common. In hindsight, I realized, I had never screwed up that bad. In the moment, I didn't understand what we were dealing with.
(Carmella is asked how she process what she was going through)
Carmella: It was so difficult. When it happened and I was in the emergency room, I had to take an ambulance to another emergency room for them to diagnose exactly what happened. Once I realized that it was an ectopic pregnancy, which means it's in your fallopian tube and not in your uterus, so at any point, basically, it can explode and you can bleed to death, which is insane to think about.
Graves: Don't gloss over it. This is what really rocked me. This is when I went, 'Oh my God, I need to be a better partner. I need to be more supportive.' I thought it was something you get fixed, maybe you need surgery or it's something your body recovers from. When I found out that you could have died from that, that rocked my world.
Carmella: It's insane because not only am I in the emergency room for this crazy medical condition that we have to monitor closely. I was on bed rest for four weeks straight, I couldn't do anything. I'm also processing the loss of our baby. It was a double whammy. Through all of that, we made it through and I'm so grateful, and I'm not trying to gloss over any of this. I was in a deep depression for a while. It was really hard. I felt it was necessary for me to share my story. Even though I had you [Corey], I had my family, I had never felt so alone because it's like blaming yourself. 'What did I do wrong? How could I have prevented this?' It turns out there is nothing I could have done. It's just how your body reacts. Women came out of the woodwork, that's why I wanted to share my story. I was so lonely and I felt so isolated through the experience, and I felt, 'I'm going through this, surely there are other women out there or men out there who are helping their partner going through that,' and I wanted to share my story. Women came out of the woodwork. Women from my high school, my college, even women I've met through WWE have come to me and went, 'I went through this' or 'I know someone who went through this and I wish I had the courage to share my story.' That's mostly what I wanted to do with coming out with it publicly because it's not talked about enough. Women don't talk about these things. Your pregnant, you think you're pregnant, you're having a baby, and that's it. I was excited to have a baby, and it's all taken away. It was a very difficult time and it felt like, my return was up in the air, I didn't know. Am I ever going to go back to work? Am I ever going to feel okay? Am I ever going to feel good enough to get off the damn couch and put some makeup on and feel good about myself? Luckily, we're here and on the other side, but it was definitely a difficult journey.
Graves: You mentioned all the support and people coming out of the woodwork, I know, first hand, that there was somebody in particular whose words held a lot of weight and helped you kind of turn things around.
Carmella: Yeah, Stephanie McMahon. I'm gonna get emotional thinking about it. She was so supportive of me through all of it. Reached out to me several times, we had several phone conversations about it. Even after my return a few weeks ago, she texted me, 'So good to see you back. I hope you're feeling alright.' Oh my gosh. Not only does she preach women empowerment, she practices it. I'm so forever grateful for her and the support she has showed me through all of this. Our kitchen looked like a floral shop. Everyone who is anyone in WWE, the female locker room, both locker rooms, everyone. We have flowers everywhere and I'm so grateful. We have such a support system, the WWE universe, our family that we have behind the scenes in WWE is so real and I'm so grateful for everyone.
(Carmella is asked about the emotional journey back)
Carmella: I just reimagined everything. What is my purpose after going through this? I was so confused. I was on bed rest for at least four weeks, people don't realize, once you go through it, you have to wait until your body can recover because at any moment, it can still explode. You have to wait until everything is back to normal. I'm grateful for it now, looking back, because I had to deal with it and be in it and I went through all of these thought processes. Am I going to go back to work? What is there for me at work? Is putting my body through all this worth it? I just wasn't quite sure what that journey back to the ring would look like. I hadn't been able to even....for me, I'm someone who is in the gym on a daily basis. Constantly doing pilates, yoga, fitness classes, sometimes twice a day. I couldn't do any of that for a couple of months. Would I even be able to get my body back to where it needed to be, just to even walk on a treadmill again or ride a bike again? I had no idea how long it would take me to get back to that. I wasn't quite sure what it would look like to get back to WWE. Are people going to remember me? Are people going to want to see me back? What does that journey look like? Looking back, I wouldn't have changed a thing. It really helped me take the time I needed to mentally and physically to get back into peak physical and in-ring condition.
(Carmella is asked how she dealt with feeling lonely)
Carmella: I did a lot of acupuncture. The acupuncturist also kind of doubles as a therapist, he talks a lot about mental well-being. He's helped me a lot. I do lot of meditation. Honestly, just the support system of having my family, I'm so grateful my parents live in Pittsburgh now, my husband, my step kids, they were all so integral in the process of getting back to where I needed to be. If you have a great support system, you can kind of get through anything.
If you or someone you know has experienced pregnancy or infant loss, see the following resources below:
- Star Legacy Foundation
- CLIMB Support
- Compassionate Friends
- March of Dimes
- Postpartum Support
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