Artem Chigvintsev’s Recent DWTS Partner ‘Blindsided’ by His Arrest

Heavy/ABC Charity Lawson reacts to Artem Chigvintsev's arrest.

“Dancing with the Stars” professional dancer Artem Chigvintsev was arrested on August 29 and his season 32 DWTS partner has now shared her reaction to the news. Charity Lawson and Chigvintsev made the finale during season 32 and seemed to have formed a good rapport with one another.

After Chigvintsev’s recent arrest, Lawson admitted she was “blindsided” by the news.

As TMZ reported on August 29, deputies from the Napa County Sheriff’s Office arrested Chigvintsev after receiving a 911 call reporting a domestic violence situation.

Charity Lawson ‘Wasn’t Expecting’ the News About Artem Chigvintsev She Received

On September 11, Page Six reported Lawson’s comments during her guest appearance on their “Virtual Reali-Tea” podcast. “[I was] blindsided a little bit. I wasn’t expecting it at all,” Lawson admitted.

Lawson noted she “obviously [doesn’t] know any details” about what happened between Chigvintsev and his estranged wife Nikki Garcia.

She noted she had grown quite close to Garcia while competing on season 32 of “Dancing with the Stars.” Garcia, who formerly went by the last name Bella, competed on the show in season 25.

“[I’m] giving them the space and … all the love and healing,” Lawson added regarding Chigvintsev and Garcia. She indicated she has not talked with Chigvintsev since his arrest.

Lawson & Chigvintsev Had a Good & Professional Relationship on DWTS

While Lawson didn’t share any comments about the specific allegations against Chigvintsev, she did note some positives about her experience with him. She mentioned how much she appreciated the support he provided when she was dealing with fan negativity during their run on the show.

Lawson previously opened up about receiving a lot of hate from “Dancing with the Stars” viewers during her season.

During a July 28 appearance on Cheryl Burke’s “Sex, Lies and Spray Tans” podcast, Lawson revealed, “I was getting death threats for existing.”

She told Burke that virtually nobody knew about all of the vitriol she was receiving from “Dancing with the Stars” fans at the time. Lawson did talk to Chigvintsev about it, though.

Chigvintsev was shocked to learn about the hate directed toward Lawson. Once he knew, he supported her through the difficult experience.

The season 32 finalist told Burke she had requested Chigvintsev as a partner as she went through the casting process. She had noted several professional dancers she was interested in working with, including him specifically.

Others Lawson mentioned included Val Chmerkovskiy, Brandon Armstrong, and Alan Bersten. She noted she believed that Chigvintsev’s “teaching definitely suited me the best.”

Lawson added that she knew if she wanted to learn and get to the “Dancing with the Stars” finale, dancing with Chigvintsev was the way to do it. “He is so much about just his work and his work ethic…He doesn’t play, so I love that,” Lawson explained.

“We just had so much mutual respect” for one another, Lawson recalled.

TMZ reported that according to online records they reviewed, Garcia filed for divorce from Chigvintsev on September 11.

Chigvintsev has laid low since the arrest, making no public appearances or social media posts since that day. He is not a member of the “Dancing with the Stars” season 33 cast, either.