Former SmackDown Women’s Champion Carmella announced her pregnancy to the world on May 1st, and now she’s taken to social media to share a heartwarming video of her telling the good news to her stepchildren.
Carmella is married to WWE announcer Corey Graves, who has three children from a previous marriage. In the video posted on TikTok, Carmella, real name Leah Van Dale, gives each of his children a new pair of Nike sneakers, much to the children’s delight.
However, the kids were in for a surprise when their stepmother told them to open the final shoebox, which contained a pair of baby shoes. Graves’ son seemed to understand the message first, and all three children hugged Carmella in a tearful celebration of joy as a family.
@leah_van_dale warning: grab a tissue 🤧 fyp blendedfamily pregnancyannouncement
Carmella Opened Up About Pregnancy After Miscarriages
In October of 2022, Carmella opened up about her struggles with pregnancy loss, revealing that she’d miscarried in September and then suffered an ectopic pregnancy in October. Speaking to Good Morning America, she revealed that it was difficult to get excited about her news at first, but she’s very happy and trying to have a positive mindset.
“It’s just all been such a whirlwind. I think because of my past, it was hard to get excited off the bat about this one, but I was cautiously optimistic. I try to have a good mindset, a positive mindset this time around, and it’s working. So I’m very happy about that.”
Continuing, the star detailed her battles with morning sickness, saying that she’s never been happier to feel so miserable.
“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.”
When it came to telling Graves’ children that they were going to have another sibling, the couple was hesitant as they weren’t sure how the kid would react to the news. The Princess of Staten Island says their support and excitement has made her even more excited to be a mother.
“They were so, so excited, and made us even more excited about having the baby. That’s just so amazing.”
After a long hiatus from television, Carmella returned on the January 30th episode of Monday Night Raw, where she was confronted by Asuka backstage. She went on to form an alliance with Chelsea Green until being taken off TV once again after finding out news that she was expecting a child.