Nikki Garcia claims Artem Chigvintsev‘s anger issues kicked into high gear after he was cut from Dancing with the Stars!
As we’ve covered, the WWE star was granted a temporary domestic violence restraining order earlier this week. In her legal docs, she opened up for the first time about the couple’s August confrontation that led to her husband’s arrest and their ensuing divorce. She claimed Artem was struggling with anger issues before a verbal dispute led to deeply disturbing physical violence — and it turns out his frustration stems from his struggling career!
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In docs obtained by People on Friday, the Total Bellas star claimed the pro dancer had been “cut from the upcoming season” of Dancing with the Stars just one week before the DV incident. After that point, he “had not been able to find other work as a dancer.” Oof.
Because of this, the 42-year-old had just sought out a regular job — and he wasn’t handling it well! The athlete, formerly known as Nikki Bella, alleged:
“He had begun work at a construction job and felt it was beneath him. Since being cut from Dancing with the Stars, Artem had been growing increasingly angry, snapping at me, and yelling. We had discussions about his need to control his anger.”
After news of his arrest broke, the outlet confirmed there were no plans for the Russian dancer to appear on season 33 — a decision that was apparently made before his legal trouble. It’s not the first time he’s been cut either! In 2019 during season 28, he opened up about how devastated he was to lose his spot on the cast that time, too! Back then, he said on Nikki’s podcast The Bellas:
“I don’t know where to begin, to be honest with you. Obviously, it was a massive shock. Having those calls is never, never, never fun. I dedicated 10 years of my life to that company and getting let go three days before an announcement, that’s like a punch in the stomach, really.”
He added:
“It’s not even a job, it’s a lifestyle if you’ve been doing it for a very, very long time. There was never really a thought in my mind that I [wasn’t] going to be doing it. … But getting this call and [hearing], ‘There’s going to be no involvement in the show from now on’ — it’s like going through a breakup after 10 years.”
That has to suck — but this doesn’t give him a reason to lash out! Don’t like construction? Find something else to do, man! Don’t allegedly try to suffocate your baby momma!!
That said, in his own restraining order filing, the Strictly Come Dancing alum claimed Nikki was the main aggressor in the dispute. They’ve both managed to retain temporary restraining orders against the other as they deal with the rest of their divorce. And despite being taken into custody, Artem was ultimately not charged. Still, no matter how the rest of this legal battle unfolds, this controversy certainly won’t help his chances of getting back on on DTWS or other shows in the future. Yeesh.
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If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, help is available. Consider calling the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233, or text START to 88788, or go to https://www.thehotline.org/.
[Image via WENN/Avalon & ABC/Disney Plus]