Nikki Garcia (formerly known as Nikki Bella) spoke about her divorce from Artem Chigvintsev for the first time. On the Monday, December 2, episode of the “Nikki and Brie Show” podcast, the former professional wrestler opened up about what she’s been going through since Artem’s August arrest and the pair’s subsequent divorce finalization three months later.
“I’m going to try my best not to get too emotional in this episode,” Nikki, 41, shared with twin sister Brie Garcia. “But I first want to just thank everyone – the listeners, you, family, friends, coworkers, people I haven’t talked to in a long time – just for all the love and support, for the respect of my privacy and space.”
She explained why she decided to “disconnect” from social media for a few months amid the drama with Artem, 42. “First things first, I’m a mom. And my son’s protection and privacy is the most important,” Nikki said, referring to her and Artem’s 4-year-old son, Matteo. “So I was going to do whatever it took for that, most importantly. And then just needing space for healing, for facing trauma head on. All of that. So, it’s been tough. It’s been really tough. I’ve been heartbroken, sad.”
Artem was arrested on domestic violence charges in August, but he and Nikki have different accounts of what happened on the night in question. Prosecutors eventually decided not to press charges against the professional dancer. However, at the beginning of October, he and Nikki filed dual restraining orders against each other. The protective orders were dropped when they reached their divorce settlement in November.
“You dream of having this family and you have this incredible love and it just goes the other way,” Nikki reflected. “And you go from having a great love story to having a terrible one and never saw any of it coming, you know, as far as what the ending would be. So it’s just been a struggle.”
The former reality star says the situation has “shocked” her “beyond words” and gave some insight into her recent state of mind. “You lose your appetite, you cry a lot,” she went on. “And then I also stepped up and made sure everything was OK for Matteo. And so it’s just been … I don’t even know what other words to use.”
She concluded, “The one thing that I have realized [while] disconnecting from the world … it’s when you know the truth, nothing else matters. So when some of you would come to me and tell me what people were saying or what was out there, it would affect me in some way, but because I know the truth and I actually lived it, it didn’t have a big effect on me. All I need to do is focus on my healing. I need to focus on Matteo’s healing.”
This was Nikki’s first time appearing on the podcast since Artem was arrested in August. Just days before the arrest, the former couple celebrated their two-year wedding anniversary.
