Nikki Garcia has filed for divorce from husband Artem Chigvintsev after two years of marriage — less than two weeks after his shock domestic violence arrest.
TMZ reported that the retired WWE star, 40, made the court filing on Wednesday.
The news comes hours after it was revealed that Garcia had hired a divorce lawyer.
Chigvintsev, 42, was taken into the custody for allegedly attacking her at their Napa, California, home on the morning of Thursday, August 29.
Just days before the pro dancer was placed into handcuffs, the couple had marked their second wedding anniversary, with Chigvintsev sharing a heartfelt message in an Instagram post, ‘Happy anniversary my love, can’t see my life without you. You are my everything.’
Nikki Garcia has filed for divorce from husband Artem Chigvintsev — two weeks after his shock domestic violence arrest; seen in 2019
TMZ reported that the retired WWE star, 40, made the court filing on Wednesday; seen in 2019
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Artem Chigvintsev RE-ADDS wife Nikki Garcia to his Instagram bio
On Saturday, Chigvintsev updated his Instagram bio by re-adding his wife’s name, less than 24-hours after removing it.
Sources recently told DailyMail.com that Chigvintsev is desperately trying to salvage the marriage.
Cops were called to the couple’s $1.5 million marital home in Yountville, California, following reports of a bust-up.
Sources said the couple dialed 911 twice – first to request assistance for an injury before calling back and asking paramedics not to come.
But due to the sounds of a domestic disturbance in the background, cops from the Napa Sheriff’s Department descended on the couple’s leafy neighborhood anyway, taking Russian-born Chigvintsev with them.
He was booked into the Napa County Jail on felony domestic violence charges at 10:59 am before being released on a $25,000 bond at approximately 2.18pm.
A mugshot released by the Napa County Sheriff’s office showed the ballroom star looking glum-faced in a check shirt while sporting a grizzled beard.
The arrest, which reportedly came after Garcia threw shoes at her husband, took place less than four days after the pair celebrated the anniversary of their August 2022 wedding – with both marking the moment on social media.
Sources said Chigvintsev is currently scheduled to face court in Napa on Tuesday over the incident and cannot leave Napa County until the case is resolved.
Chigvintsev, 42, was taken into the custody for allegedly attacking her at their Napa, California, home on the morning of Thursday, August 29
And now Artem is said to be hellbent on proving to wife Nikki that he ‘can be a changed man.’
While she has allegedly banned Artem from seeing their four-year-old son Matteo without supervision and is searching for a divorce lawyer, sources have revealed to DailyMail.com that he is in the ‘fight of his life’ to win her back – especially now that he has been dropped from the upcoming season of DWTS.
‘Artem is very frustrated and mad that he wasn’t asked to be on this season of Dancing with the Stars, and now it looks like he will never be back,’ they said.
‘His life professionally and personally is and has been flipped upside down.’
‘He doesn’t know what his next steps are with Nikki, he has been upset for a long time and now he is in the fight of his life to clear his name and win back Nikki, but as of right now he hasn’t decided what he might do to show her that he can be a changed man.’
‘They currently have limited dialogue with each other.’
‘If and when he sees Matteo, Nikki wants it supervised. Her trust has been thrown out the door and she is very angry with Artem, he has an uphill battle ahead of him. The whole thing is a mess.’
‘She has tried and tried to make it work, but she feels divorce is the only option. It hurts but Nikki is such a strong woman, and she is doing what is right for her, and for 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, an insider 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 couple share four-year-old son Matteo
On Saturday, Chigvintsev updated his Instagram bio by re-adding his wife’s name, less than 24-hours after removing it; seen in 2015
‘Nikki’s sister Brie is disgusted, shocked, disappointed and just sad that this happened,’ they told DailyMail.com.
‘She loves Artem, and for this to be going down is so out of the realm of possibility of the person who she knows. Brie is very concerned about it all and is there for her sister at all costs.’
The added: ‘Brie, who is obviously the closest to Nikki, as anyone would, 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 to tell Nikki to leave him.’
Nikki and Artem’s two-year marriage was reportedly plagued by arguments, but his violent outburst has shocked the WWE star and her family.
‘One thing Nikki never showed was the verbal troubles that she had with Artem,’ the source continued. ‘They wouldn’t treat each other very nice and they never built on a friendship.’
‘Their sole focus has been on their son and not on each other. That caused arguments, but as far as everyone knows it never got physical.’
‘Family and friends are very surprised things got physical, but they’re not exactly surprised that they were having trouble, it just seemed like normal relationship issues to outsiders.’
Over the weekend, Nikki was seen boarding a JSX flight to Sin City at Oakland airport without her wedding ring. She was accompanied by her son and an assistant.
On Tuesday, TMZ claimed that Nikki began the hunt for an attorney the day after Artem had allegedly attacked her.
Nikki’s twin Brie Garcia (pictured) is said to want her sister to leave Artem for good
The publication alleged that she has been making calls since Friday and has the intention of ending her marriage.
Artem and Nikki initially crossed paths in 2017 when they were paired up on the 25th season of Dancing with the Stars.
Artem had previously been in high-profile relationships with other celebrities, including dancer Giselle Peacock, 43, between 2004 and 2005. He also dated DWTS judge Carrie Ann Inaba, 56, between 2006 and 2008.