Artem Chigvintsev and his wife, Nikki Garcia, celebrated their anniversary days before his arrest.
“Happy anniversary my love, can’t see my life with out [sic] you,” Chigvintsev, 42, wrote via Instagram on Tuesday, August 27. “You are my everything ❤️.”
Garcia, 40, also honored their special day by sharing lyrics to Elvis Presley’s “Can’t Help Falling in Love” and pairing the tune with a video montage from their wedding day.
“This song is our love story. I’ll never forget where I was when I asked Jesus about Artem,” she wrote via Instagram on Tuesday. “Having a conversation with He & God. How my feelings felt too soon. It all felt too fast. And then this song came on. And that’s when I knew that I was falling in love with him and that it was all meant to be. 🙏🏼✨Happy Anniversary @theartemc I love you! ❤️🔥.”
Two days later, news broke that the Dancing With the Stars pro was arrested for domestic battery. Chigvintsev was booked into Napa County Jail on Thursday, August 29, on a felony domestic violence charge, per online jail records.
Nikki Garcia and Artem Chigvintsev. Kevin Mazur/Getty Images
Garcia, for her part, posted via her Instagram Story on Wednesday, August 28, that she was in Napa. “Got a facial today! Love my spot in downtown Napa,” she wrote. It’s unclear whether she was involved in the incident.
Chigvintsev and Garcia met when she was cast as his partner on season 25 of DWTS in 2017. At the time, Garcia was engaged to John Cena, but the twosome split the following year.
Artem Chigvintsev and Nikki Garcia. Cassidy Sparrow/Getty Images for Neon Carnival
Chigvintsev and Garcia reconnected and got engaged in January 2020. Months later, they welcomed their son, Matteo, in July 2020. “Our baby boy is here and we couldn’t be HAPPIER and more in LOVE!” she wrote via Instagram at the time. “Everyone is safe and healthy.”
Prior to marrying Nikki Garcia in August 2022, Artem Chigvintsev — who shares son Matteo with the former WWE personality — dated others in the spotlight before settling down. The Russian-born dancer was part of Burn the Floor and Strictly Come Dancing before joining Dancing With the Stars for season 18 in 2014. Most of […]
The pair announced in August 2022 that they exchanged vows in Paris. “We said I DO,” Garcia wrote via Instagram at the time, revealing that fans could watch the “entire journey” during a four-part special event series from E! called Nikki Bella Says I Do.
After tying the knot, Chigvintsev reflected on his new relationship status during an exclusive interview with Us Weekly. “Because we’ve been together for quite some time, I [felt] like, ‘Hey, getting married is not gonna change much,’” he told Us in September 2022. “Just because … our days are still the same. [But] it actually does [change everything].”
He continued, “It just gives you more of [a feeling of being] filled with responsibilities. … [I] definitely think through a lot more than I used to, but it feels good. It feels good to be married.”