Nikki Garcia, known better to fans of her work on the WWE as “Nikki Bella,” has now opened up about her husband and his domestic violence charges. Bella became famous when wrestling with her sister, Brie Garcia, and the Bella Twins were beloved during their time at the WWE. Now, Garcia is facing woes after her husband, Artem Chigvinstev, was charged with domestic violence after a late August incident at their shared home.
Police were called to their home after a 911 call. According to TMZ,Chigvinstev called 911 and then called them off. He allegedly battered someone in his own home and called the emergency service line on himself before calling them back and saying never mind, according to what the outlet learned. Chigvinstev, who is known by fans for his work on Dancing With the Stars, tried to stop the authorities, but it is protocol that once the 911 call was placed, the police still had to do a check-in to assess the situation and determined that the alleged victim’s injuries were enough to warrant an arrest for Chigvinstev.
Chigvinstev was taken to the Napa County Jail in Napa, California on August 29. Chigvinstev and Garcia’s son, Matteo Chigvinstev, is reportedly in Garcia’s care and Chigvinstev was released from custody on $25,000 bail. Garcia released her statement the following day, asking fans and the public to give her and her family time. “This is a private matter,” A representative for Garcia told E! News in the statement. “Nikki asks for privacy for her and her family at this time.”
Why Were Nikki and Artem Fighting?
Over the weekend, TMZ released audio of the 911 call placed on August 29. The outlet reports that a dispatcher says the Dancing with the Stars pro had initially claimed his wife had thrown shoes at him. The incident was so bad that Chigvinstev requested medical assistance. In the exclusive clip, the dispatcher expresses how the call “initially came in as requesting medical, but now he is stating he got into an argument with his wife and his wife threw shoes at RP [reporting party].”
While it was reported that the two were physically separated from each other by the time authorities showed up, it was confirmed that a “child [was] on the scene” and medical was en route. “There’s an active 415 [disturbing the peace] in the background responsible,” the dispatcher said, per TMZ.
Nikki and Artem Shared Their Wedding With the World
Garcia and Chigvinstev met while partnered together on Dancing With the Stars. In 2020, they welcomed their son and in 2022, the couple shared their journey to their wedding in Nikki Says I Do. The Paris wedding was recently featured on both Chigvinstev and Garcia’s Instagrams to celebrate their 2nd anniversary. Posted just a few days before the 911 call, Garcia wrote “This song is our love story. I’ll never forget where I was when I asked Jesus about Artem. Having a conversation with He & God. How my feelings felt too soon. It all felt too fast. And then this song came on. And that’s when I knew that I was falling in love with him and that it was all meant to be.” Please respect Garcia’s wishes at this time.
You can see Garcia and her sister on Total Bellas now streaming on Peacock.
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