John Cena and Nikki Bella have ended their year-long engagement.

The couple of six years announced their split in a joint statement Sunday, saying: 'While this decision was a difficult one, we continue to have a great deal of love and respect for one another. We ask that you respect our privacy during this time in our lives.'

Their destination wedding was scheduled for May 5.

Cena, 40, took to social media to share pictures of a broken heart and a Walt Whitman quote, reading: 'We were together. I forget the rest.'

John Cena and Nikki Bella end their year-long engagement... as they say 'we continue to have a great deal of love and respect'; they are seen together on April 6

He added: 'Anybody feeling down, check out Walt Whitman has always been a helpful voice in times of crisis. Beautifully wild thinker, and was certainly onto something with ideas like these.'

The split comes a year after the two celebrated their engagement at Wrestlemania 33.

Cena had appeared happy and devoted to his 34-year-old future wife, although he had alluded to conflict over his decision never to have children.

As they were: At the premiere of Cena's film Blockers earlier this month; Nikki's ring can be seen on her left hand

In his recent film Blockers he played a father trying to stop his teenage daughter from losing her virginity on prom night.

And the Trainwreck star said this had led to difficult conversations with Nikki, who wanted to become a mother.

'I think I'll be snoopy. I will want to know what they're going through so I can be like, "Hey, one time, this happened to me and this is how I messed it up. Don't let that happen." '

However, the action man - who has appeared to soften his stance on whether he wants kids in the future - explained he will try to offer advice to his children, even though he knows it might not got the way he wants it to.

He's a star: Cena is seen at Wrestlemania 34 on April 8

John told Us Weekly: 'I'll also be protective because I can see the forest through the trees and be like, "You're doing it wrong". But that's so going to backfire.'

John - who is an ambassador for the Make-A-Wish Foundation - previously insisted he has no desire to have kids of his own with fiancee Nikki Bella, but the couple have had a number of 'lengthy and difficult' conversations about the subject after it came to the forefront while promoting his new movie, in which he plays the parent of a teenage girl.

Discussing his anti-child stance, he said: 'Well, that statement is not from her, it's from me and it's just me being a stubborn idiot.

'Believe it or not, over the course of filming and promoting this film, the topic has come up so much. I didn't want to address it or talk about it but now we've had some lengthy - and honestly quite difficult - conversations about it but I'm changing my tune.'