TW: This article contains discussions of alleged domestic violence in which a child was present.
Dancing with the Stars fans were shocked by Artem Chigvintsev’s arrest for domestic violence in August 2024. Shortly afterward, his wife, Nikki Garcia, filed for divorce. The couple share one son, 4-year-old Matteo. Now we are learning exactly what happened during the disturbing incident.
Nikki Garcia files for a restraining order against Artem
The District Attorney announced that Artem would not face any charges for the alleged assault. Then, Artem’s attorney claimed, “that Artem was not the primary aggressor.” Now Nikki is sharing her side of the troubling events.
TMZ reported that Nikki submitted a sworn declaration to the judge explaining what allegedly happened during the domestic violence incident. She was seeking a restraining order against her husband. So, Nikki claimed that Artem “tackled me multiple times and pinned me to the ground while our child was present.” She explained that since Artem was cut from the DWTS cast, he had become “increasingly angry, snapping at me, and yelling.”
While Nikki had discussions with Artem about controlling his temper, the morning of the incident, Artem became angry over how Matteo’s English muffin should be prepared. She reported that she threw Matteo’s toddler shoes at Artem, hitting his leg. But the shoes were small and lightweight, so Artem wasn’t injured. Next, Artem grabbed Matteo and ran upstairs with him as Matteo screamed for his mom.
When Nikki attempted to enter Matteo’s room, her husband opened the door and pushed her to the ground, tackling her. Then Artem allegedly gripped Nikki’s arms and held her down for what seemed like around 30 seconds.
After Artem again went into Matteo’s room, Nikki once again tried to enter. This time, Artem reportedly opened the door and shoved Nikki across the hall and into their bedroom. Inside their bathroom, he reportedly forced her down to the floor and pressed down on her sternum with his hands. Nikki felt like she was suffocating and tried to get him off of her by grabbing at his neck. When the police arrived, Matteo told them, “Daddy hurt my hand.”
Nikki alleges that this wasn’t the first time that Artem was violent
Sadly, this was not the first time that Artem was violent with Nikki. In 2023, Nikki alleged that Artem “violently grabbed me around my waist” to keep her from her son. And Nikki claimed that Artem was also verbally abusive on several occasions. For her part, Nikki wants Artem to receive help, including anger management and therapy.
The judge ruled that Artem must not contact Nikki and must stay at least 100 yards away from her and Matteo, as well as their home. The one exception to this is for visitation with Matteo or exchanging Matteo for visitation that is ordered by the court. The judge denied Nikki’s request to leave the country with Matteo until the hearing on October 21, 2024.
Season 33 of Dancing with the Stars will return with two episodes on Monday, October 7, and Tuesday, October 8 at 8/7c on ABC and Disney+.
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.
TELL US – ARE YOU SHOCKED BY NIKKI’S CLAIMS? DO YOU THINK THAT ARTEM WILL SEEK OUT HELP?
