No matter how much personal adversity she may have experienced in the last few days after husband Artem Chigvintsev‘s domestic violence arrest, Nikki Garcia is a pro. And when she has a job to do — like she did in Las Vegas over Labor Day weekend — she does that job to the best of her ability.
Of course, the former WWE star who wrestled under the name Nikki Bella, spent the weekend in Sin City co-hosting Netflix‘s live special Chestnut vs Kobayashi: Unfinished Beef. That was a hot dog eating contest featuring American professional eater Joey Chestnut and his legendary Japanese foe Takeru Kobayashi. Nikki was tasked with helming the on-air festivities alongside co-captain Rob Riggle.
As we previously reported on Labor Day itself, the first thing pretty much everybody noticed during the live event was the fact the Bella twin was NOT wearing her wedding ring. In the hours since that observation, we’ve learned there was a damn good reason why she wasn’t wearing it, too — she’s on the fast track to divorcing Artem! And now, we know how Nikki’s time in Vegas went down off camera, as well.
Related: Nikki Had Such High Hopes For Anniversary Celebration With Artem Days Before DV Arrest
According to a source who spoke to Us Weekly about Matteo‘s momma, Nikki was thought to be “in great spirits” after touching down in the Nevada city. That insider claimed that if you didn’t know the backstory behind Artem’s arrest last Thursday, you’d have had no idea that anything was amiss:
“She was extremely friendly and seemed happy, as if nothing had just happened between her and Artem. Nikki put on a brave face and didn’t let the incident affect her.”
Wow! Sounds like she’s really good at compartmentalization — and keeping things totally profesh!
Oh, and Nikki wasn’t alone in Vegas, either! She brought her 4-year-old son with her for the project, too. The source said that she was very “attentive” towards Matteo and “seemed like a really good mom” even while she was busy working. (That mag reports Nikki had both a friend and a nanny there to help her with child care, FYI. He wasn’t left alone with a trough of hot dogs or anything!)
Regardless, the source can’t seem to get over how positive Nikki was during her star turn in the desert town on Monday:
“Nikki was excited for her job and kept smiling, and was in a great mood.”
Wow. HUGE credit to her for giving her full effort on the project like a true pro. The show must go on, right?
But still, we can’t help but feel our hearts break for all the inner turmoil Nikki must have been feeling the entire time. And we continue to send our love to her and Matteo as they navigate the aftermath of this extremely unsettling situation.
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 Nicky Nelson/MEGA/WENN]
