‘DWTS’ Alum Artem Chigvintsev Gives Rare Update After Arrest & Divorce: ‘Ruined My Life’

Alyssa Norwin February 21, 2025, 3:14 pm

Artem Chigvintsev visits the SiriusXM studio — Emma McIntyre/Getty Images

The domestic violence charge against Artem Chigvintsev was dropped months ago and his divorce from Nikki Garcia has been finalized, but he’s still affected by everything that happened in his personal life in 2024.

“It completely ruined everything for me,” Chigvintsev said on the Glamorous Grind podcast. “It completely ruined everything for me. From every angle. It ruined my life completely. And the worst part about all this is the [district attorney] dropped the case, clearly stating there was nothing they could possibly have to charge me on…”

Chigvintsev was arrested after an altercation in August 2024, and Garcia filed for divorce just weeks later. She requested sole custody of their son, Matteo, who turned 4 in July. In a dramatic legal war that followed, Garcia and Chigvintsev were granted restraining orders against each other. The charges against the pro dancer were dropped by the end of September. In November, the divorce was finalized. It was ruled that the exes would share custody of Matteo.

The matter was settled privately instead of in a public court battle. “I wanted it to be over,” Chigvintsev admitted. “I felt for me, personally, like I needed to go back and live my life and I needed to move on emotionally, financially. I just want my life to be normal again.”

The former Dancing With the Stars pro recalled seeing his mugshot on the cover of a tabloid magazine and explained, “When people see that mugshot … for them, in their mind, you’re immediately guilty. There’s not even a question of what happened. In this country, I thought you’re innocent until proven guilty. That was not the case whatsoever.”

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Despite everything that happened, Chigvintsev is still grieving the end of his marriage. He and Garcia were together for seven years and married for two before their split. “It wasn’t my decision to get divorced,” he admitted. “Until the last moment, I was like, ‘Oh, maybe we should do therapy, maybe we need to try to figure something out.’ My ideal scenario is keeping the family together, united.”

He added, “It was sad, but I guess just a relief that it was done. It was dramatic. The whole thing … maybe dramatic isn’t the right word … but it was draining. It was a relief from a legal point of view.”

If you or someone you know is the victim of domestic abuse, contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1−800−799−7233.