Former SmackDown Women’s Champion Carmella recently opened up about her difficult experience with pregnancy loss and praised Stephanie McMahon for her support during the difficult time.
After suffering an injury scare during an August 2022 live event, the star wouldn’t return to television until January of 2023. During her absence, Carmella revealed that she’d tragically suffered both an early miscarriage an ectopic pregnancy.
Speaking to her husband Corey Graves on After the Bell, Carmella opened up about the couple’s heartbreaking experience, saying that while it led to a “deep depression,” she was grateful to have the support of her husband and family.
“I was dealing with an ectopic pregnancy, which means that the pregnancy was not viable, couldn’t move forward with it, and it’s actually something that [Graves] and I were both learning together, is very, very dangerous, and something that a lot of women don’t actually make it through.
“Not only am I in the emergency room for this crazy medical condition that we have to monitor very closely, I was on bed rest for four weeks straight, couldn’t do anything, but then I’m also processing the loss of our baby. So, it was a double whammy.
“Through all of that, we made it through and I’m so, so grateful, and I’m not trying to gloss over any of this. I mean, I was in a deep depression for a while, it was really hard but I felt like it was necessary for me to share my story because even though I had [Graves], I had my family, I have never felt so alone because it’s kind of blaming yourself, ‘What did I do wrong? How could I have prevented this?’ But it turns out there is nothing I could have done, it’s just how your body reacts.
“I was excited to have a baby and then it’s all taken away and it was just a very difficult time. 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?”
Stephanie McMahon Checked On Carmella Regularly During Her WWE Absence
Continuing, the former SmackDown Women’s Champion detailed how former WWE CEO Stephanie McMahon was incredibly supportive of her throughout the difficulty of pregnancy loss, even texting her following her WWE return despite having resigned from the company back in January.
“Stephanie McMahon, I’m going to 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 saying ‘so good to see you back, hope you’re feeling alright.’
“Not only does she preach women-empowerment, she practices it. I’m just so forever grateful for her and the support that she’s shown for me through all of this.”
Carmella made her return to WWE television on the January 30th episode of Raw in Tulsa, OK, appearing in a backstage segment with Asuka. On February 6th, she returned to the ring and qualified to participate in the women’s Elimination Chamber match when she defeated Candice LeRae, Piper Niven, and “Michin” Mia Yim in a fatal four way match.
h/t F4WOnline