After being somewhat guarded about their divorce, Nikki Garcia is finally opening up. She says the breakup of her marriage with Artem Chigvintsev was “a long time” coming.
On December 2, Nikki confessed to listeners on her and sister Brie Garcia’s podcast that she hadn’t been honest about her marriage. She admitted that she had been “play[ing] up” her relationship with the professional dancer for the sake of appearances.
“I wanted [him] to heal,” she explained. “I wanted [him] to get help … because that’s what my son [Matteo] deserves.”
Nikki Garcia’s storybook romance falls apart
“It’s sad,” Nikki continued. “[The relationship] hasn’t been great for a long time. I really played it up like things were a lot better than they were … [Hoping], ‘If I can just put this person on a pedestal … maybe they can believe that in themselves.’”
“I didn’t want another failed public relationship,” she added, speaking of her on-again/off-again relationship with former fiancé, pro wrestler John Cena.
After meeting Artem on Dancing with the Stars Season 25 in 2017, their chemistry with each other was obvious. When Nikki eventually ended things with John a year later, she and Artem reconnected, taking their romance to the next level. Their son was born in 2020, and they married in 2022.
In late August, only two days after their wedding anniversary, Artem was arrested for felony domestic violence following a fight with Nikki. The charges were dropped a month later, but the damage was done. Nikki filed for divorce and requested full legal and physical custody of their 4-year-old son. The divorce was settled in November.
Picking up the pieces
When she returned to her podcast on Monday, Nikki told listeners that she feels “heartbroken” and “betrayed.” She took some time to “mourn” the family she had tried to create with Artem.
“You go from having a great love story to having a terrible one,” she sighed. “Never saw any of it coming as far as what the ending would be. It’s been a struggle.”
Though she says she doesn’t have any “regrets” over her behavior during their romance, she is having a “tough” time and trying to focus on “healing.”
“I came at it with love,” Nikki said. “The day Matteo wants to sit and talk about it, I have all the proof that I tried to handle everything with love and care. All I wanted to do was to protect [him].”
Total Bellas is currently streaming on Peacock.
TELL US – WERE YOU SHOCKED TO SEE NIKKI AND ARTEM’S MARRIAGE END SO SUDDENLY? DO YOU THINK NIKKI WILL BE ABLE TO MOVE ON?
