Artem Chigvintsev is sharing his requests.
Two weeks after the former Dancing With the Stars pro was arrested for a charge related to domestic violence, his wife Nikki Garcia—with whom he shares 4-year-old son Matteo—filed for divorce to end their two-year marriage, her rep confirmed to E! News.
Now, Chigvintsev has responded to her court filing, submitting paperwork of his own that confirmed their date of separation as Aug. 29—the date of his arrest—and also listed the reason for the split as "irreconcilable differences," according to the court document obtained by Us Weekly Sept. 13.
Chigvintsev, 42, requested spousal support from Garcia and asked her to pay his attorneys fees.
Additionally, the dancer wants joint legal and physical custody of their son Matteo, while Garcia, 40, asked for sole legal and physical custody, according to her documents obtained by TMZ Sept. 11. The WWE star—formerly known as Nikki Bella—also said she'd consider having her ex receive visitation rights.
They have yet to address the divorce publicly, but her rep told E! News Sept. 12, "She continues to ask for privacy for her and her family at this time.”
Earlier this month, E! News obtained booking documents for Chigvintsev’s arrest, which occurred mid-morning Aug. 29. He was taken into custody in Napa, California—where his family owns a home—and charged with California penal code section 273.5 (a)PC, which is related to acts of violence against a spouse or other cohabitant. He was released later that day on a $25,000 bail.
The arrest came just days after Chigvintsev and Garcia—who met when she competed as a celebrity dancer on DWTS in 2017—celebrated their second wedding anniversary Aug. 26, which they both commemorated on their respective social media platforms.
For her part, Garcia quoted lyrics from Elvis Presley’s “Can’t Help Falling in Love” alongside a personal, spiritual message about Chigvintsev.
“I’ll never forget where I was when I asked Jesus about Artem,” the former wrestler wrote. “Having a conversation with He & God. How my feelings felt too soon. It all felt too fast. And then this song came on. And that’s when I knew that I was falling in love with him and that it was all meant to be.”
Meanwhile, Chigvintsev shared a post of his own, adding in his caption, “Can’t see my life without you, you are my everything.”
In addition to sharing their sweet moments, the couple have also been candid about their lows. In fact, Garcia—who was previously engaged to John Cena—had opened up about attending couple’s therapy with Chigvintsev early on in their relationship, citing their issues with communication after their son was born in 2020.
“We used to have an amazing foundation of communication and we lost that when Matteo came, and it’s both of our faults in different ways—me for not communicating and Artem for not asking,” she explained to Us Weekly in 2021. “And it was so amazing when we started to realize that.”
She later told the outlet that they had stopped attending sessions as frequently, due to their lack of issues, saying of therapy, “It’s helped us tremendously.”
Read on for more details on Chigvintsev's legal case.
Artem Chigvintsev was arrested shortly before 10 a.m. on Aug. 29, Napa County Sheriff’s Office’s Public Information Officer Henry Wofford confirmed to E! News.
Wofford noted the Dancing With the Stars pro did not was resist and was taken to the Napa County Department of Corrections. Chigvintsev was booked on a charge of felony domestic violence with a bail set at $25,000, per online records.
The professional dancer posted bail and was released from custody at 2:18 p.m. on Aug.29, Wofford confirmed to E! News. A court date has yet to be announced.
While Wofford told NBC News Chigvintsev was arrested in Yountville, Calif, he did not reveal the exact location due to a request for privacy from the alleged victim.
As a result of this request, he added, the Sheriff is also not releasing the name, gender or age of the alleged victim or the individual’s relationship to Chigvintsev. However, Wofford did have this to say about the arrest.
“When someone is charged with felony domestic violence usually this means there is a visible injury or credible eyewitness,” he told E! News, “our deputies felt comfortable arresting him on felony domestic violence charges.”
“Of course this could change with more evidence that might come through,” Wofford continued, “but at the time of the arrest the deputies felt it was a felony charge instead of a misdemeanor."
He also shared why victims may choose to keep personal information private in these cases.
“Some victims may not feel comfortable sharing all details at time the suspect is arrested,” Wofford noted. “Some victims feel embarrassed, threatened, or fear the incident may impact their family. We have to give victims adequate time and support, which help them realize we are here to help.”
In an audio recording shared by TMZ Aug. 30, a dispatcher can be heard saying Chigvintsev had initially called 911 to request medical attention after an argument in which shoes were allegedly thrown at him. However, the dispatcher said the 42-year-old later stated that medical help was no longer needed.
Still, Wofford said authorities continued with their check.
“For domestic violence, if someone picks up the phone and says, ‘You don’t have to come after all,’ we’re still going to go for a welfare check," he told Page Six. "We’re not just going to stop what we’re doing."
As of Aug. 30, Chigvintsev has yet to speak publicly on the arrest or 911 call. E! News has reached out to his rep for comment but has yet to hear back.
Chigvintsev’s arrest came less than three weeks prior to Dancing With the Stars’ season 33 premiere. However, the past Mirrorball winner—who’s appeared on 12 seasons of the competition series—was not set to be a part of this season’s cast, Page Six and Variety reported.
E! News has reached out to ABC for comment but has yet to hear back.
A rep for Nikki Garcia—who met Chigvintsev when they were paired together on season 25 of Dancing With the Stars in 2017—spoke out about his arrest the day after his booking and release.
"This is a private matter,” the rep told E! News Aug. 30, “and Nikki asks for privacy for her and her family at this time."
Chigvintsev’s arrest came three days after he and Garcia—who share 4-year-old son Matteo—celebrated their second wedding anniversary.
“Happy anniversary my love,” the ballroom dancer wrote on Instagram Aug. 26. “can’t see my life with out you. You are my everything.”
In her own post, the former WWE star quoted the lyrics from Elvis Presley’s “Can’t Help Falling in Love” and posted throwback footage of the couple in Paris, where they got married in 2022.
“This song is our love story,” she wrote in the caption. “I’ll never forget where I was when I asked Jesus about Artem. Having a conversation with He & God. How my feelings felt too soon. It all felt too fast. And then this song came on. And that’s when I knew that I was falling in love with him and that it was all meant to be. Happy Anniversary @theartemc I love you!”
Shortly after Chigvintsev’s arrest, Cheryl Burke—who retired as a Dancing With the Stars pro in 2022 after 26 seasons on the show—shared her reaction to the news.
Noting Chigvintsev is someone she grew up with and lived with at one time, Burke said on her podcast Sex, Lies and Spray Tans that she was in “complete shock” over his arrest.
“My heart goes out to everyone involved,” she shared on the Aug. 30 episode, noting it was recorded the day before. “It’s just really hard for me because he was my family. I don’t know what to say here other than I hope everybody’s OK.”
In a clip of her podcast posted to TikTok, Burke also shared resources.
“If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, help is available,” she wrote in the caption. “Consider calling the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233, or text START to 88788, or go to…https://www.thehotline.org/.”
