Nikki Garcia's Ex Artem Chigvintsev Says Domestic Violence Arrest 'Ruined Everything’ For Him

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00:00It completely ruined everything for me, like from every angle, it ruined my life completely.

00:08And the worst part about all of this, because DA dropped the case clearly stating that there

00:14was nothing that they could possibly have charged me on.

00:19Nikki Garcia's ex-husband, Artem Chingvinstev, is getting candid about how his life has changed

00:24following his arrest.

00:26The Dancing with the Stars alum was arrested and booked on suspicion of felony domestic

00:29violence charges in August 2024, though the Napa County District Attorney ultimately did

00:34not pursue criminal charges.

00:36Nearly two weeks after his arrest, his wife filed for divorce.

00:40The former couple share four-year-old son Mateo.

00:42Now, Artem is reflecting on the past few months during a conversation on the Glamourous Grind

00:47podcast.

00:49It completely ruined everything for me, like from every angle, it ruined my life completely.

01:02And the worst part about all of this, because DA dropped the case clearly stating that there

01:08was nothing that they could possibly have charged me on.

01:13The former dancing professional also shared his feelings around his marriage ending, claiming

01:17it wasn't his decision to get divorced.

01:47ideal scenarios, like keeping the family together, united.

01:52It was a huge closure of seven years.

01:54I will never forget this moment when Mateo loved the three of us being together.

01:59I mean, he's, he's like, you can see that his excitement when it's like, whether I was

02:05holding Mateo or my wife was holding Mateo, and he's like, want us to kiss in front of

02:09him.

02:10Like, he's so like, it makes him so happy.

02:13And even having thought of that, like, this, this is never going to be that ever again.

02:17Like this is like, you need to put like, you need to move on.

02:22And I think that closure was a huge, like, cause I remember like flying from the airport

02:27and I was like, wow, this is just like, it was sad, but it also like was, I guess, relief

02:34because it was done.

02:35That is going to be no more, because I mean, it was dramatic.

02:38Like this whole thing was maybe dramatic, not the right word, but it was like, it was

02:43draining.

02:44Earlier in the conversation, Artem also said that following his arrest, he was cut out

02:50of most support in his life and later shared his reaction to having his mugshot go viral.

02:56I think divorce was just one of the things that I was facing at the time.

03:01I mean, there was a criminal charge, I was cut off from every single outlet of support,

03:07except for maybe my parents.

03:09Like I was cut out from every angle.

03:11Like sometimes people go through divorce, but they have their job, they have their,

03:15like, you know, close ones and have their friends, like there is a still certain support.

03:21Like I didn't have a family support because that was cut off.

03:26My work was cut off.

03:28And then on top of it, there was a criminal case, maybe because I've been on TV.

03:32It's like you being judged by the media before anything.

03:37I think with the mugshot, the first time it really hit me, first of all, I mean, it hit

03:41me just even being in the police station, being arrested.

03:44You're watching this on TV, like in TV shows when people are getting arrested and all that

03:48stuff, but experiencing yourself, you're just in a huge denial, like, is this really happening?

03:55Like what is happening?

03:56But going back to the mugshot, I remember being in Target and I was buying, I think,

04:04some stuff probably for Matteo, because that's most of the time I go to Target for is buying

04:07stuff for Matteo.

04:09And seeing, I think it was a star magazine or something.

04:12And that was on the cover.

04:13My mugshot was on the cover of star magazine.

04:15And you can help yourself, but when people seeing that mugshot on that thing and then

04:23watching it, you like, for them in their mind, you are immediately guilty.

04:29Yeah, you're a criminal in their mind.

04:31Guilty.

04:32There is nothing you can say or try to justify yourself and change their minds.

04:39When person have a mugshot, you're guilty immediately.

04:41There is not even a question of like, what happened?

04:45Like it's weird because in this country, I thought you guilty when you've proven that

04:49you're guilty.

04:50You're innocent until proven guilty.

04:51You're innocent until you've proven guilty.

04:53Exactly.

04:54That was not the case whatsoever.

04:57Everything happened.

04:58There was a paparazzi outside of when I was coming out of the jail when I was there for

05:01a few hours.

05:02Like there was already a paparazzi standing outside taking shots.

05:05I was like, how, like, what is going on?

05:11Ahead of the Super Bowl, Nikki opened up to Access Hollywood with her sister Brie about

05:14her new single era and having her twin support through it all.

05:18Brie's like, mm-hmm.

05:20But I was really just like yearning it.

05:22And you know, when you're in that ring, you find so much of your empowerment and strength

05:28and confidence and things that I was just really craving and yearning for myself, especially

05:33in my new era.

05:35And it's like, I need Nikki Bella to help me put the pieces back together.

05:39You know what I mean?

05:40I do.

05:41So yeah.

05:42Yeah.

05:43Getting my Bella back.

05:44I hear it.

05:45I almost feel like we should cheers.

05:46I was like, did you?

05:47Let's go back to Bourbon Street.

05:49You know, exactly.

05:50I'm still there.

05:51You know.

05:52I'm still there.

05:53Yeah.

05:54That's incredible.

05:55To be able to use that outlet to work those things out and to help you reframe, come back

06:01to yourself in a new way.

06:02Totally.

06:03What would you say is this new era?

06:04Ooh, yes.

06:05I don't know.

06:06I guess, you know, it's my fearless era.

06:08I feel like, you know, everything I've done so far, I've, you know, I've shown myself

06:14strength and I have just, I've seen a lot of myself and stuff that I was like, wow,

06:19I didn't realize how strong I was or all these different things.

06:23And I truly do now see like being fearless and taking things on fearlessly is such a

06:28way to live life.

06:30And so this era is all about being fearless.

06:32Absolutely.

06:33I get that.

06:34Yeah.

06:35One hundred percent.

06:36And I want to be, I want to preface this, this next question with saying with the utmost

06:40respect.

06:41Yeah.

06:42And I'm curious, Brie, how in this time have you stepped in to be there for your sister

06:47to support and love on her and you know, the way that you know she needs.

06:52I mean, this has been a 41 year marriage, so I will say that we share the vows is what

06:58I realized till death do us part is right here.

07:01But you know, I just, she's, I mean, more than a sister.

07:05She's my twin.

07:06Like we shared the womb together.

07:07So I know the kind of love and support she needs.

07:10And I've been there.

07:11You know, Nikki does call me her bulldog and I am like, oh, I am.

07:16And the bulldog hasn't come out yet.

07:18But it's about.

07:19I always got to keep it on a leash.

07:20Honestly.

07:21What'd you say?

07:22But it's about to.

07:23It's about to be unleashed.

07:24But honestly, I'm kidding.

07:25But I will say like I, I am, I'm there for her 24 seven.

07:30And I do feel like in the last six months, our bonds gotten even stronger, you know,

07:34because it's been, it's been really great.

07:36You've come to show blood is thicker than water truly is.

07:39And you get come to moments that test that and family always shows up.

07:44Family's always there.

07:45And best friends that are like family.

07:48The 41 year old also recently told Us Weekly about why she took a step back from the public

07:52eye after filing for divorce following the arrest of her ex.

07:56Everything was very shocking.

07:57All of it.

07:58And I think that was the main reason why I knew I had to disconnect.

08:00I was in shock.

08:01You couldn't have ever told me that this would have been the ending of my 2024 or my marriage.

08:05I wouldn't have believed you.

08:06It takes a long time to process something.

08:09I needed the disconnection to process everything that happened.

08:11She said, but as for her future, Nikki told the mag, she's open to falling in love again,

08:16but doesn't foresee that happening anytime soon.

08:18And it's also ruling out more kids or another marriage as she revealed.

08:22I don't ever want to sign paperwork again.

08:24If I find the right person, I don't mind a commitment ceremony, but I don't want to be

08:27legally bound.

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