Former Strictly Come Dancing star Artem Chigvintsev has reportedly said that he's lost over $100,000 - approximately £77,000 - in income after being arrested for domestic violence.
Artem, 42 - who appeared on the BBC show from 2010 to 2013, before moving over to the US version Dancing with the Stars (DWTS) - has been involved in a domestic violence dispute with his estranged wife Nikki Garcia, 40 - known professionally as Nikki Bella. Artem was arrested on suspicion of domestic violence in August but the following month it was reported that he would not be facing charges.
TMZ reports that, according to new court documents it has obtained, Artem says he was still a working dancer despite claims to the contrary following his departure from DWTS after last year's series. Similarly, legal documents obtained by the Daily Mail, reportedly filed October 31 in Napa Superior Court, are said to read: "It is not true that I have not been able to find other work as a dancer. I normally start jobs in November and it goes for 20 weekends.
"After the mug shot and the arrest based on her false allegations, I was taken off the website faculty list resulting in loss of over $100k in income. I also lost the social media promotion revenue, which she continues to benefit from as she was more worried about her career when she lied to the police, than mine."
The outlet adds that Artem claims in the documents that Nikki is "the one with the temper" and maintained that he was "not violent" with her on August 29, the date of the alleged dispute. He reportedly said: "She is the one with the temper. I try to stay quiet and avoid it. She yells, and on 8/29/24 was yelling, pursuing me, and was the one who attacked me. It is further a lie that I was growing increasingly angry, snapping at her, and yelling. I was not violent with her and did not violently grab or yell at her." Artem, who has a four-year-old son with his wife, had previously claimed that Nikki was "the aggressor".
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Getty Images)Artem was arrested on suspicion of domestic violence in August but the following month it was reported that he would not be facing domestic violence charges, with Napa County District Attorney (DA) Allison Haley saying it was after a "thorough review of the criminal investigation and careful evaluation of the evidence". As previously reported, the DA added: "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."
The arrest on August 29 was over the former couple's alleged dispute. In a filing, Nikki claimed her husband had "tackled me multiple times and pinned me to the ground while our child was present". She claimed he had become "increasingly angry, snapping at me and yelling" after he wasn't asked to return to DWTS. As previously reported, Nikki claimed in court filings that she had thrown a shoe at Artem, which she said "contacted" his leg, during an argument but claimed that they "weigh hardly anything and could not have hurt him". She acknowledged it wasn't "right" and said that she was "so overwhelmed with everything that had happened that morning that I had a momentary lapse in judgement."
In September, it was reported that Nikki had filed a dissolution of marriage and about two weeks later followed up with a request for a domestic violence restraining order. As previously reported, she was granted a temporary restraining order and last month, Artem is said to have requested a restraining order too, which he was also granted as a temporary measure.
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