Less than two weeks after her divorce from Artem Chigvintsev was finalized, Nikki Garcia spoke out about the end of her marriage with the former Dancing With the Stars pro for the first time.
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During the latest Nikki & Brie Show podcast episode, the retired WWE wrestler admitted the divorce was a “long time coming.”
“I wanted [him] to heal. I wanted [him] to get help … because that’s what my son, [Matteo], deserves,” Garcia said about her ex. “It’s sad.”
Nikki Garcia further disclosed that her marriage with Artem Chigvintsev hadn’t “been great” for a long time. “I really played it up like things were a lot better than they were in the public eye,” she admitted. “I felt like, ‘if I can just put this person on a pedestal… maybe they can believe that in themselves.”
She further confessed she didn’t want “another failed public relationship” like her on-and-off relationship with fellow WWE wrestler John Cena.
Artem and Nikki met in 2017 when they were paired on season 25 of Dancing with the Stars. Months after calling off her engagement to Cena, Garcia reconnected with Chigvintsev. They got engaged in 2019 and were married in 2022.
Nikki Garcia filed for divorce shortly after an altercation between her and Artem Chigvintsev that resulted in the dancer being arrested on felony domestic violence charges, which were later dropped.
In her divorce filing, Garcia requested full legal and physical custody of her and Chigvintsev’s 4-year-old, Matteo. The former spouses established a co-parenting agreement. They also resolved the restraining orders against each other.
Nikki Garcia Felt ‘Heartbroken’ and ‘Betrayed’ in the Divorce
Nikki Garcia claimed she felt “heartbroken” and “betrayed” in the situation, pointing out she had to “mourn the family she once envisioned.
“You go from having a great love story to having a terrible one,” Garcia said. “Never saw any of it coming as far as what the ending would be. It’s been a struggle.”
Nikki is now focused on “healing” following the divorce. However, despite how the marriage ended, she stated she doesn’t have “regrets.”
“I came at it with love,” Garcia continued. “The day Matteo wants to sit and talk about it, I have all the proof that I tried to handle everything with love and care. All I wanted to do was to protect [him].”
Nikki’s twin sister, Brie, further noted that the negative headlines or “lies” about her behavior don’t matter.
Brie came to her sister’s defense when reports came out about Chigvintsev claiming Nikki was the ”primary aggressor” in the relationship.
“The truth always com[ing] out in the end,” Brie wrote in an Instagram Story post, per Page Six. She reposted the quote from the “Narcissistic Personality Disorder Mother Facebook Resource Page.”
During the podcast episode, Brie praised Nikki for staying off social media amid the divorce and keeping “things so private” when she didn’t have to.
Nikki wiped out her entire Instagram account, starting fresh with an uploaded video of the podcast episode.