John Cena was "too scared" to talk to Shay Shariatzadeh when they met for the first time.
Shay Shariatzadeh and John Cena tied the knot in 2020
The wrestler-turned-actor married Shay in 2020 - but he was initially overawed by the 35-year-old beauty when he saw her for the first time in a Vancouver bar in 2019.
During an appearance on 'The Howard Stern Show', John shared: "We watched the game, and then the table sitting right across from us - this group of five people walked in. Man, I stopped watching the game. I didn't even know it was over."
John, 46, initially struggled to find the courage to approach Shay.
He said: "I was so bad. Here I am - hell this was half a decade [ago] - I'm 40 and I'm too scared to approach this girl."
However, after they did make a brief connection, John wasted little time in getting to know Shay.
The Hollywood star explained: "I asked her for her number and she gave me her number, and I didn't wait like the two days [to reach out].
"I left the restaurant and on my walk home I [texted], 'It was so nice to meet you, you're beautiful, I'd like to get to know you more if you have any free time coming up I'll make time for you.' She's like, 'You want to go out this weekend?' I said, 'Sure.'"
John actually considered proposing to Shay after just three months of dating. However, he ultimately decided to wait until they passed the one-year landmark.
The actor said: "I would have done it in three months. It might have been a little weird, yes. I don't want to speak for her, but she didn't say no when I asked."
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