Artem Chigvintsev is back in the ballroom following his August arrest. The former Dancing With the Stars pro attended the filming of the show’s 500th episode on Nov. 12 amid his contentious divorce from wife and former DWTS partner Nikki Garcia.
Chigvintsev was spotted by viewers sitting in the audience of the ABC dance competition next to fellow pros Peta Murgatroyd and Maksim Chmerkovskiy and was later featured in an Instagram Story posted by Murgatroyd and recorded by TMZ. In the video, captioned with a party face emoji, the trio dances along to the music playing as they watch the show unfold.
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Chigvintsev was arrested in Napa Valley, California on Aug. 29 on suspicion of corporal injury to spouse. Ultimately, the District Attorney’s office opted not to press charges against the dancer, but on Sept. 11, Garcia, formerly known as Nikki Bella, filed for divorce from her husband of two years. The Total Bellas star, who shares 4-year-old son Matteo with Chigvintsev, would go on to receive a temporary domestic violence restraining order following her divorce filing.
On Oct. 15, a judge ruled that the exes would share custody of Matteo, as per court documents obtained by TMZ, despite Garcia previously requesting sole legal and physical custody of her son in her divorce filing.
Last month, Garcia claimed amid the former couple’s court battle that Chigvintsev had been cut from Dancing With the Stars for the ongoing 33rd season a week before his arrest. “Since being cut from Dancing With the Stars, Artem had been growing increasingly angry, snapping at me, and yelling,” the former WWE star wrote in a legal filing. “We had discussions about his need to control his anger.”
Chigvintsev has maintained his innocence throughout, writing in a Sept. 25 statement on Instagram, “I am incredibly relieved and grateful that the domestic violence charges against me have been dropped. This has been an extremely difficult time for me. I am thankful that the truth has prevailed.” Thanking the people who had supported him, the dancer concluded, “I look forward to moving past this chapter and focusing on what truly matters – continue being the best father I can be.”
If you or someone you know is a victim of domestic violence, you can reach the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233. You can also chat with a representative at thehotline.org or by texting “START” to 88788.
