Artem Chigvintsev has responded to his ex-wife Nikki Garcia’s divorce petition, as she also officially filed for divorce on Friday, following her arrest for domestic violence late last month.
The 42-year-old Dancing With The Stars pro, who removed the former WWE star from his Instagram profile before adding her back, cited “irreconcilable differences” as the reason for their split in documents obtained by We weekly.
He listed their separation date as August 29, the same day he was arrested on felony domestic violence charges following an alleged altercation at his home in Napa, California.
Chigvintsev has also requested joint legal and physical custody of his and Nikki’s four-year-old son, Matteo.
The Russian-born dancer has asked for spousal support and also requested that Garcia pay her legal fees, according to the documents.
Artem Chigvintsev, 42, responded to his ex-wife Nikki Garcia’s, 40, divorce filing as she also officially filed on Friday, following his arrest for domestic violence late last month; seen in 2020
In the filing, Artem claimed that he was a putative spouse between the dates of August 26, 2022 and January 19, 2023.
A putative spouse is an individual who believes he or she is legally married to someone, but the marriage itself is not valid.
Chigvintsev and Garcia tied the knot in August 2022 during a ceremony in Paris, France.
But in the documents, according to Us Weekly, the professional dancer stated that they also tied the knot in the United States in January 2023.
Garcia filed for divorce two days earlier on Wednesday in Napa Superior Court, asking for sole legal and physical custody of their son.
He also cited “irreconcilable differences” in the dissolution documents, according to TMZand cited August 29 as the date of separation, the day of Artem’s arrest.
The TV personality stated that she is open to Artem getting visitation rights for their four-year-old son Matteo.
However, while Chigvintsev has asked for spousal support from Nikki, she has asked to block the court’s ability to award spousal support to either of them.
He indicated that the date of separation was August 29, the same day he was arrested on felony domestic violence charges in Napa, California.
Chigvintsev has also requested joint legal and physical custody of his and Nikki’s four-year-old son, Matteo.
Just days before the professional dancer was married, the couple had celebrated their second wedding anniversary.
At the time, Chigvintsev shared an emotional message in an Instagram post that read: “Happy anniversary, my love. I can’t imagine my life without you. You are my everything.”
Over the weekend, on Saturday, Chigvintsev updated his Instagram bio by adding his wife’s name again, less than 24 hours after removing it.
Sources recently told DailyMail.com that Chigvintsev is desperately trying to save the marriage.
Police were called to the couple’s $1.5 million marital home in Yountville, California, following reports of a fight on August 29.
Sources said the couple called 911 twice, first to request assistance for an injury before calling again and asking paramedics not to come.
But because of the sounds of a domestic disturbance in the background, police from the Napa Sheriff’s Department arrived at the couple’s leafy neighborhood anyway, taking Chigvintsev with them.
He was booked into the Napa County Jail on felony domestic violence charges at 10:59 a.m. before being released on $25,000 bail at approximately 2:18 p.m.
He was booked into the Napa County Jail on felony domestic violence charges at 10:59 a.m. before being released on $25,000 bail at approximately 2:18 p.m.
A mugshot released by the Napa County Sheriff’s Office showed the ballroom star with a grim face wearing a plaid shirt and sporting a graying beard.
The arrest, which reportedly came after Garcia threw shoes at her husband, took place less than four days after the couple celebrated their wedding anniversary in August 2022, with both recalling the moment on social media.
Sources said Chigvintsev is scheduled to appear in court in Napa on Tuesday for the incident and cannot leave Napa County until the case is resolved.
And now Artem is said to be determined to prove to his wife Nikki that he “can be a changed man.”
While she has reportedly banned Artem from seeing their son Matteo unsupervised and is seeking a divorce lawyer, sources revealed to DailyMail.com that he is in the “fight of his life” to get her back, especially now that he has been eliminated from the upcoming season of DWTS.
“Artem is very frustrated and angry that he was not asked to participate in this season of Dancing with the Stars, and now it looks like he will never return,” they said. “His professional and personal life is and has completely changed.”
‘He doesn’t know what his next steps are with Nikki, he’s been upset for a long time and is now in the fight of his life to clear his name and win Nikki back, but so far he hasn’t decided what he could do to show her that he can be a changed man.’
“They currently have limited dialogue between them.”
Garcia filed for divorce two days earlier on Wednesday in Napa Superior Court, asking for sole legal and physical custody of their son, seen in 2019 in Los Angeles.
“If she sees Matteo, Nikki wants him to be monitored. Her confidence has gone out the window and she’s very angry with Artem, who has an uphill battle ahead of him. The whole thing is chaos.”
“She has tried and tried to make it work, but she feels that divorce is the only option. It hurts her, but Nikki is a very strong woman and she is doing what is best for her and Matteo.”
Although Artem is desperately trying to repair his marriage, Nikki’s twin, Brie Garcia, is said to want her sister to leave him for good.
Earlier this week, a source close to former WWE star Brie, 40, said she is “disgusted” by the news of Artem’s arrest and wants her twin to have nothing to do with him.
The arrest, which allegedly came after Garcia threw shoes at her husband, took place less than four days after the couple celebrated their wedding anniversary in August 2022, with both recalling the moment on social media.
Although Artem is desperately trying to repair his marriage, Nikki’s twin, Brie Garcia, is said to want her sister to leave him for good.
“Nikki’s sister Brie is upset, shocked, disappointed and saddened by what has happened,” they told DailyMail.com.
“She loves Artem and this is beyond the control of anyone she knows. Brie is very concerned about all of this and is there for her sister no matter what.”
She added: ‘Brie, who is obviously the closest to Nikki, as anyone would be, is telling her to leave Artem, if this is as bad as it seems, and if it happened before, once she finds out everything that happened, she will be the first one to tell Nikki to leave him.’
Nikki and Artem’s two-year marriage was reportedly plagued by arguments, but her violent outburst shocked the WWE star and her family.
