21 November 2024
Nikki Garcia and Artem Chigvintsev have settled their divorce.
Artem Chigvintsev and Nikki Garcia have settled their divorce
The retired WWE wrestler - known to fans as Nikki Bella - and the 'Dancing With The Stars' pro have finalised their separation two months after splitting up.
A spokesperson for Nikki told E! News in a statement: “Nikki and Artem have settled their divorce and will not be going to court.
"Nikki's No. 1 priority has always been her son and privacy on the matter.
"She is thankful for all of the love and support she has received during this difficult time."
According to court documents obtained by TMZ and the Daily Mail newspaper, the couple's restraining orders against each other have been dismissed.
The former couple - who have four-year-old son Matteo together - split in August after two years of marriage following a row that led to police being called.
Artem, 42, was arrested amid allegations of domestic violence, but was not charged.
On Tuesday (19.11.24), Napa County District Attorney Allison Haley told Us Weekly: "While we take every arrest seriously and stand firmly against domestic violence, we have an ethical obligation to only file charges when supported by the evidence.
“We are required to prove any and every criminal charge ‘beyond a reasonable doubt,’ which is the highest standard in the American criminal justice system.
"If the available evidence doesn’t rise to this level of proof, then we cannot ethically file charges.”
Last month, Artem and Nikki offered different versions of the events that led up to the dancer's arrest.
Artem alleged his spouse appeared stressed due to work and "escalated the argument" by criticising him for not taking an equal share of parenting responsibility, which he insisted was "completely false".
The dancer insisted he then left the room to "let her cool down" while he helped Matteo get ready to leave, but the former wrestler followed and allegedly continued to shout complaints at him, getting angrier at his "calm" responses before she "completely lost it" and told him to get out before "forcefully throwing both of Matteo's sneakers" at him.
Nikki had admitted throwing the shows in her filing after growing "overwhelmed" by Artem yelling at her, but insisted they "weigh hardly anything and could not have hurt him."
Artem told how he had taken Matteo to his room and wouldn't let Nikki in, but when she forced her way in, the little boy began crying so he moved himself and his wife out to the hallway.
He alleged: "I tried to get her off me and away from the door frame so that Matteo would not witness any further conflict.
"I cannot stress enough how many times I pleaded with her to stop and calm down. There was a mutual struggle, and both ended up on the ground. At that moment, I knew that nothing I would say would get to her [and] make her calm down.
"I was hurt and scared of her continuing on. I needed help for her to stop."
In her own filing, Nikki stated Artem had opened the door and "tackled" her to the ground before pinning her down when she tried to get in the bedroom, and pushing down on her chest.
Artem called police and remained outside until they arrived but was ultimately arrested, which he noted in his filing had surprised him as he wasn't the primary aggressor.
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