As former Dancing With the Stars pro Artem Chigvintsev and Total Bellas star Nikki Bella proceed with their divorce filings, things appear to be looking up for Artem.
In August, Artem was arrested at his home in Napa Valley, California, for suspicion of domestic violence, and, in turn, Nikki filed for divorce from her husband of 2 years a few days later. Both Artem and Nikki have different accounts of the events that night as they both alleged the other was the aggressor. A judge later ruled that Artem would not face criminal charges.
As the former couple continued to battle it out in court, Artem scored a major win when it came to the couple’s young son, Matteo.
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Artem Chigvintsev Won Big In His Divorce Case Against Ex Nikki Bella
Former WWE wrestler Nikki Bella filed for divorce from her husband, Artem Chigvintsev, on September 11th, just days after Artem was arrested for domestic violence. Artem was released on bail later that day and Nikki did not press charges, but she was granted a restraining order. In fact, the judge presiding over their case also granted Artem a restraining order against his wife.
Both have accused the other of domestic violence. In legal documents obtained by TMZ, the professional dancer alleged that his wife was the aggressor. Artem also provided photos that showed injuries on his neck, hand, and elbow from the day of his arrest. The outlet reported that Artem was ultimately not charged with domestic violence because of “insufficient evidence.”
Nikki and Artem’s relationship timeline | Event |
---|---|
September 2017 | Nikki and Artem meet as partners on DWTS |
December 2018 | They spark relationship rumors after Nikki splits with fiance John Cena |
March 2019 | Nikki confirms their relationship with Instagram post |
November 2019 | Artem pops the question |
January 2020 | Nikki announces she’s pregnant with their child |
July 2020 | Nikki gives birth to a son named Matteo |
June 2021 | The couple postpone their wedding |
August 2022 | Nikki and Artem get married in Paris |
August 2024 | Artem is arrested on accusations of corporal injury to spouse |
September 2024 | Nikki files for divorce, seeks physical custody of their son |
October 2024 | Nikki and Artem are granted shared custody of Matteo, Artem will also not have to attend anger management classes |
In Nikki’s divorce filing, it showed that the date of her separation from Artem was August 29th, the day of his arrest. Nikki cited “irreconcilable differences” as the reason for their divorce and was seeking sole physical custody of their son, Matteo. Although the former wrestler also said that she was “open to Artem getting visitation rights.”
However, in October, after the two exes headed to court to proceed with their divorce, the judge ordered shared custody of Matteo. It was a legal win for Artem, who had requested joint custody.
TMZ had also stated that Nikki wanted her ex to attend anger management classes, but it does not look like that will be happening. Instead, the judge ordered both Artem and Nikki to take parenting classes individually to better co-parent their son.
The duo is set to return to court in December for their divorce trial.
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Fans React Positively To Artem’s Legal Victory
After Artem was cleared of domestic abuse charges, he made a statement in which he shared that he wished to move forward from the arrest and focus on his son’s well-being.
“I am incredibly relieved and grateful that the domestic violence charges against me have been dropped. This has been an extremely difficult time for me. I am thankful that the truth has prevailed. My focus has always been and will always be, our son Matteo.”
In his statement, Artem had also hoped for “equal custody” of Matteo, which was ultimately granted by a judge in October. After TMZ released the information regarding their custody arrangement on Instagram, the page was flooded with comments supporting Artem:
- “Everyone was so quick to blame him…can’t wait to hear it all come out.”
- “This says a lot. Good for Artem.”
- Yay Artem! Shame on Nikki for trying to take his son away from him. It is so obvious how much he loves that boy..”
- “So glad he got joint custody! now we need him back on DWTS!”
- “He should have shared custody. If he’s a good dad, he should have the son half of the time.”
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DWTS’ Gleb Savchenko Received Backlash For Supporting Artem
Before Gleb Savchenko and his partner Brooks Nader were eliminated from Season 33 of Dancing With the Stars, he was asked to comment on Artem’s arrest. Gleb and Artem have worked together on DWTS for years. Gleb joined the show in Season 16, in 2013, while Artem became a dance troupe member the following year. He later became a pro in Season 19.
Speaking to E! News, Gleb shared, “I talk to him all the time.” Although Gleb did not want to go into specifics about his long-standing friendship with Artem and how he was doing at the time, Gleb did praise Artem when it came to his professional skills as a dancer.
“He’s part of the family. He’s such a great dancer that people don’t realize. He’s the quality. It’s not about the quantity, it’s about the quality,” Gleb shared, adding that Artem knows “how to create a beautiful routine.”
“He’s just my brother and I send him love and positivity.”
Gleb’s comments that night did not sit well with people who accused Artem of being an abuser. However, after the charges were dropped and people learned that Artem was the one to call 911, people stopped making assumptions.
Former DWTS pro Maksim Chmerkovskiy also reached out to Artem after his arrest. Maksim did not take sides in the situation, but shared with The TMZ podcast, “It was just, ‘Stay strong, and if this is something that you know, is on you, then it is on you. You’re responsible for actions.'”
However, Maksim did state that hearing about the circumstances around Artem’s arrest was shocking as it didn’t sound like the Artem he knew. “The man that I know … you know, I know to be a very soft, kind, you know, beautiful person to know. Artem … everyone I know around him loves him the same way.”