Former WWE star Nikki Garcia is opening up about her painful divorce from Dancing With the Stars pro dancer Artem Chigvintsev. She filed for divorce just days after their second wedding anniversary. The couple does share a young son together. They seemed happy to all until news broke that he had been arrested for domestic battery. What is Nikki now saying about her divorce? Keep reading to find out more.
Nikki Garcia Talks Painful Divorce From Artem
Nikki Garcia opened up more about her divorce from Artem Chigvintsev on a recent episode of The Nikki & Brie Show Podcast. She admits the separation has not been easy.
Nikki said, “I’ve been heartbroken. You dream of having this family and you have this incredible love, and it just goes the other way. You go from having a great love story to having a terrible one.”
She went on to say that she never expected her marriage to end like this. When everything was going on and their divorce was pending, she disappeared from the public eye. On the podcast she hosts with her twin sister, she shared her thoughts behind stepping away from the public.
Nikki said,
“I disconnected from social media, from the world, and I just knew that I needed to disconnect because first things first, I’m a mom and my son’s protection and privacy is the most important. I was going to do whatever it took for that most importantly, and then just needing space for healing, for facing trauma head-on.”
Artem was arrested in Napa earlier this summer on charges of domestic battery. Both of them filed for divorce within a week and also filed restraining orders. After giving their situation some thought, they both dropped those orders and decided to settle their divorce out of court. Everything is now final.
Matteo Continues To Be The Most Important Thing
Nikki Garcia shared that never in a million years would she have thought this is how her 2024 would end. She admits to losing her appetite and crying a lot since her troubles with Artem began.
However, stepping away from social media and disconnecting from the outside world has helped her a lot. She is continuing to focus on being a good mother to her son Matteo. In the end, she said he is the most important thing.
She and Artem are working together to co-parent their son. Nikki noted that since there is a child involved, she and Artem will always be family.
While she did open up about how she’s coping, she also said she never wants to discuss it again.
What do you think about Nikki opening up about her divorce?
Stay tuned for more updates.