Nikki Garcia attempted to make her marriage to Artem Chigvintsev appear much better than it was, the WWE Hall of Famer has revealed. The pair, who tied the knot in 2022 after a whirlwind romance sparked on Dancing with the Stars, ended their relationship this year following Chigvintsev’s arrest at their home in Napa, California.
Returning to her Nikki and Brie podcast, Garcia opened up about the relationship, which saw cracks long before their issues were brought to the public’s attention.
“Things haven’t been great for a long time. I really played it up that things were a lot better than what they were.”
Chigvintsev was arrested over an alleged domestic violence incident, though the Napa County District Attorney’s Office opted not to press charges. Chigvintsev has claimed that he was not aggressive and that Garcia shared false claims resulting in his arrest. On the podcast, Garcia shared her side of the story.
“When you know the truth, nothing else matters. Because I know the truth and I actually lived it… People don’t know what I’ve gone through, what I am going through.”
Garcia’s return to the podcast comes after she “needed to disconnect” and focus on the “protection and privacy” of the couple’s four-year-old son Matteo. Looking back, Garcia believes that what happened in August could have been avoided as the pair “weren’t bringing out the best in each other” for a long time.
“We probably should have walked away a long time ago so in the end what happened, would not have happened.”
Addressing the end of her marriage, Garcia “never saw it coming” and described it as a “great love story turned terrible” that has left her “heartbroken and sad. Now, the former WWE Divas Champion’s focus is on herself and Matteo.
“I want to remain strong for Matteo. I’m over hiding, and I just want to live my life.”
The couple agreed to a divorce settlement in November, avoiding a trial that was set to begin in December. Following the arrest, Chigvintsev was not invited back to Dancing With The Stars, something he allegedly knew before the incident in late August. Chigvintsev made an appearance as a guest in the studio audience for the show’s 500th episode, at the invitation of an executive producer.
