Nikki Garcia and Artem Chigvintsev have called it quits after two years of marriage.
Us Weekly confirmed Garcia, 40, filed for divorce from Chigvintsev, 42, on Wednesday, September 11. (TMZ was first to report the news.)
The following day, Garcia’s rep told Us in a statement: “Nikki Garcia has filed for divorce. She continues to ask for privacy for her and her family at this time.”
News of the couple’s split comes over a week after Chigvintsev was arrested for domestic battery in Napa. According to online jail records, the Dancing With the Stars pro was booked on a felony domestic violence charge on Thursday, August 29. At the time, available details of the incident didn’t indicate whether Garcia was involved.
A rep for Garcia addressed the news in a statement to Us Weekly one day later, noting, “This is a private matter, and Nikki asks for privacy for her and her family at this time.”
In a 911 dispatch recording obtained by TMZ, Chigvintsev was heard requesting medical attention and accused Garcia (who once wrestled for WWE under the name Nikki Bella) of throwing shoes at him. He later called back and said he no longer needed medical assistance.
The pair took a trip to wine country together as Garcia (who once wrestled under the name Nikki Bella) days after their second wedding anniversary. Chigvintsev and Garcia, who tied the knot in 2022, share son Matteo, 4.
“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,” Garcia wrote via Instagram on Tuesday, August 27, alongside a clip from their wedding day. “And then this song [‘Can’t Help Falling in Love’] came on. And that’s when I knew that I was falling in love with him and that it was all meant to be. 🙏🏼✨.”
Chigvintsev, for his part, captioned a slideshow of photos from their nuptials: “Happy anniversary my love, can’t see my life without you. You are my everything ❤️.”
Garcia and Chigvintsev met in 2017 when they were partnered for Dancing With the Stars season 25. At the time, Garcia was still dating ex-fiancé John Cena. After splitting from Cena in 2018, she began dating Chigvintsev.
In January 2020, Garcia announced that she and Chigvintsev got engaged after dating for less than one year.
Artem Chigvintsev and Nikki Garcia. Cindy Ord/Getty Images for SiriusXM
“I said yes in France in November!” she wrote via Instagram at the time. “We have been trying to keep it a secret but really wanted to share our excitement for the New Year!”
Nikki Garcia and Artem Chigvintsev started dating following her broken engagement to ex John Cena — but their romance ended in September 2024. Nearly seven months after Garcia, who once wrestled under the name Nikki Bella, and Cena split for good in July 2018, Us Weekly confirmed that she and the Dancing With the Stars […]
After announcing their engagement, news broke that they were expecting their first child. They welcomed Matteo in July 2020. Two years after expanding their family, Chigvintsev and Garcia walked down the aisle in France which was televised on E!
One year later, many fans speculated whether or not Chigvintsev and Garcia legally tied the knot. Garcia set the record straight.
“We’re legally married in France and in the United States,” she exclusively told Us in January 2023. “I think because we have our [marriage records] confidential … people went and searched and they didn’t find it.”
