Nikki Bella is finally opening up about her messy split from Artem Chigvintsev ... calling it "really tough" just 2 weeks after they settled their divorce.
The "Total Bellas" star got real about her heartbreak as she made her return to "The Nikki & Brie Show" podcast after Artem's August arrest -- reflecting on how she dreamed of the perfect family ... but instead, it all went from "having a great love story to having a terrible one."
Nikki also got candid about her time away from the spotlight, revealing as a mom, her 4-year-old son Matteo's privacy comes before everything else, so she needed to protect him by stepping away from the public eye.
She went on ... admitting the fallout of her relationship breakdown hit her hard -- she was shocked, lost her appetite, and cried a lot. But, despite the emotional toll, she continued to step up for Matteo.
While focusing on her son's healing, Nikki also recognized the need to work on her own self ... and she's all in for a fresh start, making that crystal clear when she wiped every single photo from her IG recently.
As we reported, Nikki filed for divorce from Artem after his arrest for domestic violence back in August. While prosecutors chose not to file criminal charges against him in September, both Nikki and Artem have given very different takes on what happened that day.
Things got so messy, Nikki and Artem both had restraining orders in place against each other. But, things have calmed down -- they’ve since agreed to dismiss the orders and settle their divorce.