Nikki Garcia Requests Full Custody of Son in Artem Chigvintsev Divorce

Heavy/Getty Divorce updates on Artem Chigvintsev and Nikki Garcia's divorce have emerged.

“Dancing with the Stars” alum Nikki Garcia (formerly Bella) has officially filed for divorce from Artem Chigvintsev, according to TMZ on September 11. The filing came less than two weeks after Chigvintsev’s arrest in Napa Valley, noted TMZ.

Additional details about Garcia’s divorce filing and the estranged couple’s situation have now emerged.

Nikki Garcia Listed the Date of Separation as the Date of Artem Chigvintsev’s Arrest

People reviewed the divorce filing and reported that Garcia requested physical and legal custody of the couple’s child, Matteo. According to People, Garcia also requested that Matto, 4, receive visitation with Chigvintsev.

Garcia indicated she and Chigvintsev had “irreconcilable differences” and requested neither party receive spousal support, reported People.

On September 12, TMZ also reported details on the filing after reviewing the paperwork. According to TMZ, Garcia indicated the date of the couple’s separation was August 29. That is the same day as Chigvintsev’s arrest.

TMZ also reported that at this point, no formal charges have been filed in relation to Chigvintsev’s arrest. However, TMZ noted they were told that last week investigators forwarded the case to the prosecutors for review.

Us Weekly confirmed on September 12, via Garcia’s rep, that she had filed for divorce from Chigvintsev. “Nikki Garcia has filed for divorce. She continues to ask for privacy for her and her family at this time,” her rep relayed.

Fans Have Been Vocal in Sharing Their Opinions on the Pair’s Issues

Fans of the couple have expressed their sadness about the situation online.

“I really loved them as a family. This is really sad and unfortunate. Praying one day that [they] can just have proper healing to be able to coparent for Little Teo,” one fan shared on Instagram.

“Good. She needs to grab her son and get away from him,” another fan wrote.

Someone else commented, “We don’t know all the details. I’m just praying for that little boy [because] I know he loves both parents!”

“Poor guy. It takes 2 to tango and we will never hear his side,” countered another Instagram user.

A separate Instagram user wrote, “Artem was always shown to be a great Dad & just in love with his son. So it should be joint custody.”

“She needs to stop. Divorce him because no man or woman should use physical abuse to express their frustrations, but let the man be a father,” added an additional critic.

The Couple Celebrated Their 2nd Wedding Anniversary Days Before the Split

Just days before Chigvintsev’s arrest, he took to Instagram to gush over his wife on their second wedding anniversary. He wrote in the caption he couldn’t see life without her and added that Garcia was his “everything.”

Garcia posted in honor of the pair’s wedding anniversary, too.

People noted that Garcia and Chigvintsev met in 2017 when they began season 25 of “Dancing with the Stars.” She was engaged to fellow wrestler John Cena during her time on the show.

Garcia and Cena split in July 2018, and in March 2019, she and Chigvintsev went public with their romance. They got engaged in November 2019 and Matteo arrived in July 2020.

The pair had a beautiful wedding in Paris, France in August 2022. People shared that in Garcia’s divorce filing, the legal date of their marriage was listed as January 19, 2023, rather than August 2022.

Neither Garcia nor Chigvintsev have publicly shared anything about the arrest or divorce as of yet.