After finalizing her divorce from former Dancing With the Stars partner Artem Chigvintsev, Nikki Garcia (formerly known as Nikki Bella) is opening up about the difficult and emotional months she’s been through. She made her return to The Nikki & Brie Show, the podcast she hosts with her twin sister, Brie Garcia, after some time away to share her side of the story.
Nikki had been keeping a low profile, staying off social media, following Chigvintsev’s arrest on August 29, when he was taken into custody on suspicion of domestic violence at their home in California. Both Nikki and Artem had accused each other of being the instigator of the incident, but the Napa County district attorney ultimately decided not to press charges. A month later, Nikki filed for divorce, which was finalized through private mediation in November.
Reflecting on the past few months, Nikki said, “I’ve been heartbroken. You dream of having this family and this incredible love, but sometimes it goes the other way. You go from having this great love story to one that turns out terribly. I never saw it coming, and it’s been a struggle.”
Nikki and Artem first met on Dancing With the Stars in 2017, when she was a contestant and he was her pro partner. At the time, Nikki was engaged to wrestler John Cena, but they broke up in 2018. The following year, Nikki and Artem began their relationship, and they married in 2022.
During the podcast, Nikki also shared that she had stayed silent publicly, especially for the sake of their young son, Matteo. Brie praised her for not responding to the rumors and negativity surrounding the divorce, adding, “I probably would have handled it differently.”
Nikki admitted that despite putting on a brave face for the public, their relationship had been struggling for some time. “It’s sad, but it really hadn’t been great for a while,” she said. “I made it look like everything was fine because I believed that if I kept putting him on a pedestal, maybe he’d start believing in himself more. But in the end, we weren’t bringing out the best in each other, and we probably should have walked away a long time ago.”
When Brie asked if Nikki felt pressure to maintain the image of a perfect relationship for her fans, Nikki agreed, adding, “Yes, and I didn’t want to be the person with another failed public relationship. But more than anything, I wanted it to work for Matteo.”
Despite her regrets, Nikki emphasized that she tried everything she could, but ultimately, the relationship wasn’t right for either of them.
