Artem Chigvintsev, a professional dancer from “Dancing with the Stars,” was arrested in California on suspicion of felony domestic violence.
The 42-year-old, who is married to former WWE star Nikki Garcia (formerly Nikki Bella) from “Total Bellas,” was taken into custody around 10 a.m. on Thursday and booked into Napa County jail. His bail has been set at $25,000, according to USA TODAY.
Chigvintsev and Garcia, who first met as partners on “DWTS” in 2017 and married in 2022, have a 4-year-old son named Matteo Artemovich. On Wednesday, Garcia posted an Instagram Story indicating that she was in Napa Valley, where the family resides.
Artem Chigvintsev has been a familiar face on “DWTS” for the past decade, with the exception of a break during the 2019 season. He won Season 29 with Kaitlyn Bristowe in 2020 and finished fourth with Charity Lawson last season.
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However, a source familiar with the situation, who was not authorized to speak publicly, confirmed that Chigvintsev will not be part of the upcoming “Dancing with the Stars” Season 33 cast. So far, Olympic medalist Stephen Nedoroscik, who went viral earlier this summer as the “pommel horse guy,” is the only confirmed cast member.
Back in 2020, Garcia opened up about how being cut from “DWTS” for one season affected her husband’s mental health. “This past year was really tough on him, and it was also tough on our relationship, because Artem was fighting depression,” she shared on “The Bellas Podcast.”
She explained that losing his place on the show and then finding a job only to lose it again due to COVID-19 reignited his struggles with depression. “He was really depressed being cut, and it was really hard for him to get past it,” she said.
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However, when Artem returned to “DWTS,” Garcia noticed a change in him. “I felt like I had my old Artem back, the man that I fell in love with,” she said.
“To see him perform, his smile could not get any bigger, and you just felt his excitement and his love and his passion, and more than anything, his happiness. He was so happy to be back.”
If you or someone you know is a victim of domestic violence, help is available. The National Domestic Violence Hotline offers confidential support online or by phone at 800-799-7233. They can assist survivors in developing a safety plan for themselves and their children. For more information, visit thehotline.org.