Artem Chigvintsev has been doing a lot of reflection recently. Now, the Dancing with the Stars alum is looking back at the week that completely blew up his life and how he has changed since then. In retrospect, he has more clarity and shared that the split with his ex-wife, Nikki Garcia, was inevitable despite the unfortunate way that it happened.
The pro dancer made a rare comment about his divorce
For the most part, Artem has kept pretty quiet about his divorce. It’s been two years since the former DWTS pro was arrested on a domestic violence call made by the WWE star. This led to their abrupt breakup and Nikki filing for divorce.
“I had to completely switch off me,” Artem shared with fellow dancers Peta Murgatroyd and Sharna Burgess on their podcast The Penthouse with Peta. “There was no way of processing everything. Looking back, I’m like, ‘Whoa. I don’t know where I am right now.’”
However, despite everything that happened, Artem shared that he honestly wouldn’t do anything differently if he could. The relationship imploding was what had to happen to get him to where he is now.
“It was inevitable,” Artem said. “Everything happens for a reason. I feel like for me to end up where I needed to end up, that needed to happen.”
He explained that he didn’t think he would ever leave their relationship on his own. “I would have never done that just because I was raised differently,” he explained. It appears the couple had problems long before the arrest.
Artem also added that his son Matteo played an “enormous part” in why he and Nikki didn’t break up sooner. But even after all of it, Artem believes that Matteo needs both of his parents present in his life.
Artem and Niki finalized their divorce in 2025. No charges were filed against Artem in connection with the incident. They now co-parent Matteo, and Nikki has even praised Artem’s parenting skills.
Dancing with the Stars is available to stream on Disney+.
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