Photo Cred: Nikki Garcia Instagram
Dancing with the Stars dancer Artem Chigvintsev was recently in the news due to his arrest. Many are now speaking out about the situation, shocked to hear about the charges.
The former DWTS pro was arrested on Friday, August 29 for alleged corporal injury to a spouse. It’s a felony charge, and it was issued after the police responded to a call about DV. He was later released after being held on a $25,000 bail.
The alleged attack was presumably on his wife, Nikki Garcia, who immediately questioned privacy while she and her family dealt with the private matter. The two share a four-year-old son Matteo, who is currently living with Nikki and her family.
What Has Artem Chigvintsev Been Arrested For?
Artem was booked under California Penal Code Section 273.5(a) PC. This “makes it illegal to injure a spouse, cohabitant or fellow parent in an act of domestic violence.” It is classed as DA or DV or corporal injury to a spouse.
Due to California law, the victim is not named. However, due to the nature of the booking, it’s easy to assume that it was Nikki who was at the receiving end of the violence. The investigation is ongoing.
Are Artem Chigvintsev and Nikki Garcia Still Together?
Nikki remained quiet after making the initial statement. However, she was spotted on September 2, 2024 without her wedding ring.
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While TMZ states that she is seeking a divorce lawyer, fans spotted that Nikki wasn’t wearing her wedding ring before the incident with Artem. In an Instagram post on August 23, 2024 posting about a hot dog-eating competition, she wasn’t wearing her ring. It could suggest that the couple were heading for divorce before this incident.
The incident comes just days after the couple celebrated their second wedding anniversary. Nikki posted a photo on Instagram with a caption that included the lyrics to I Can’t Help Falling In Love With You by Elvis Presley.
Cheryl Burke Is Shocked About the Arrest
While Artem has not spoken out about the situation, Variety did confirm that he wouldn’t be part of Dancing with the Stars Season 33. It looks like producers had already decided on this, as the decision was made prior to Artem’s arrest. Artem has been a regular pro dancer on the series since 2014, only missing two seasons until now.
Cheryl Burke talked about the arrest on her podcast, Sex, Lies, and Spray Tans, sharing her shock at the situation. The episode was recorded just hours after she heard of the arrest, so it was fresh on her mind.
Cheryl and Artem used to live with each other before their DWTS days, as Artem came to San Francisco to live with Cheryl and her family. They are like siblings, and this is a side to Artem that Cheryl never saw. She doesn’t deny that it happened, although she continued to use the word “alleged” in her podcast, and doesn’t take Artem’s side. She does say that it was shocking for her to hear about this. Cheryl added at the end that she hopes Nikki and her son with Artem, Matteo, are okay.
