Trigger Warning: This article contains discussions of alleged domestic violence in which a child was present.
Dancing with the Stars professional dancer Artem Chigvintsev was arrested on charges of domestic violence on August 29. His wife of two years, former WWE wrestler Nikki Garcia (aka Nikki Bella), released a statement today through her representative.
Charged and released
“This is a private matter,” the rep told E! News in an Aug. 30 statement. “Nikki asks for privacy for her and her family at this time.”
Artem was taken to Napa County Jail in Napa, California on August 29 and charged with domestic violence. Later released on a $25,000 bail, he was charged with perpetrating “acts of violence against a spouse or other cohabitant” under California penal code section 273.5 (a)PC.
Nikki and Artem recently celebrated their anniversary
Artem’s arrest came just two days after the couple celebrated their second wedding anniversary on August 26. He and Nikki both posted photos of their Paris wedding on Instagram with loving inscriptions about how happy they’ve been.
“Happy anniversary my love, can’t see my life without you. You are my everything,” Artem wrote on his Instagram page, next to a photo from their 2022 wedding.
Nikki posted her own special message alongside a wedding video. “This song is our love story,” she wrote, quoting the lyrics from Elvis Presley’s “Can’t Help Falling in Love.”
“I’ll never forget where I was when I asked Jesus about Artem,” the Total Bellas star added. “It all felt too fast. And then this song came on … That’s when I knew that I was falling in love with him and that it was all meant to be.”
Following the news of his arrest, multiple outlets announced that Artem would not be returning for Season 33 of DWTS. Nikki and Artem originally met on the show when they were partners in Season 25 of the dancing competition. At the time, Nikki was with former wrestler/actor John Cena, and she and Artem were just good friends. But after breaking up with John, they reconnected.
Their son Matteo was born in 2020. Artem and Nikki married in Paris in 2022. Their wedding was documented in the E! series Nikki Bella Says I Do.
If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or chat at thehotline.org.
Nikki Bella Says I Do is now streaming on Peacock.
TELL US – DO YOU HAVE WORDS OF SUPPORT FOR NIKKI?
