Nikki Bella’s Husband Artem Chigvintsev Arrested for Domestic Violence After Incident in Napa
Nikki Garcia's husband, Artem Chigvintsev, was arrested for domestic violence following an incident in Napa Valley, California, Life & Style can confirm.
The Dancing With the Stars pro, 42, was booked into Napa County Jail on the morning of Thursday, August 29, on a felony domestic violence charge, according to online jail records viewed by Life & Style.
Prior to the arrest, deputies responded to a domestic violence call in the town of Yountville shortly before 10 a.m. on August 29. A rep for the Napa County Sheriff's Office told TMZ that an arrest was made at the scene, and there were reportedly injuries involved. The victim has asked to remain anonymous, and the case remains ongoing.
It is currently unclear what happened and who Artem was involved in the incident with. However, Nikki, 40, was active on Instagram just hours before his arrest. The pro wrestler – who was formerly known as Nikki Bella – took to her Instagram Stories on Wednesday, August 28, to share a selfie that included a caption of her raving about a facial she got at Nude Medical Aesthetics in Napa.
After revealing she was at the med spa in Napa, Nikki remained active on social media by sharing a clip from her and sister Brie Garcia’s podcast, “The Nikki and Brie Show.”
Artem was arrested just three days after he and Nikki celebrated their second wedding anniversary on Monday, August 26. Nikki paid special tribute to her husband by sharing videos from their wedding ceremony via Instagram. After quoting lyrics from Elvis Presley’s “Fools Rush In,” Nikki explained that the song was their “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,” she wrote. “And that’s when I knew that I was falling in love with him and that it was all meant to be.”
Artem also honored their anniversary by sharing photos from their wedding on his own Instagram page. “Happy anniversary my love, can’t see my life without you,” he wrote. “You are my everything.”
Their wedding was documented in the February 2023 E! special Nikki Bella Says I Do.
Nikki and Artem first met in 2017 when they were partnered together on season 25 of DWTS. Nothing romantic happened because she was engaged to John Cena at the time, though Nikki and Artem’s dynamic changed after she and John, 47, called it quits in July 2018.
The couple reconnected once Nikki was single, and they eventually made their relationship Instagram official in March 2019. Nikki and Artem got engaged in November 2019 and welcomed their son, Matteo, in July 2020.
In November 2023, Artem exclusively spoke to Life & Style about his and Nikki's plans to have more children. “I’m not carrying it for nine months, so probably not a question to me,” he said at a DWTS taping when asked if he wants more children.
While he said the decision was ultimately up to his wife, Artem admitted he “would love to have a little girl.”
“That’d be nice. That’d be a nice little addition to it,” the Russia native continued. “Hey, we can all dream about it.”
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 for confidential support.
