'Dancing With the Stars' Pro Updates Fans on Serious Health Issue That Forced Tour Exit
Dancing With the Stars pro Artem Chigvintsev shared an update on the "unexpected health issues" that forced him to leave the show's live tour. Chigvintsev, 39, said he is still dealing with a bout of pneumonia. The one-time Mirror Ball trophy winner announced on Jan. 20 that he would not be able to tour with his DWTS colleagues.
"Hi everyone, I just want to give you a little update on my wellbeing," Chigvintsev said in an Instagram Story video he filmed from his car on Wednesday. "I had another x-ray done yesterday and it still came back positive for pneumonia. So, I just got another set of antibiotics. This is of course, number two. Hopefully this will do the magic... will do the trick to kick pneumonia out of my lungs. So, that's where I'm at."
Last month, Chigvintsev said he would not be participating in the Dancing With the Stars Live 2022 tour due to "some unexpected" health issues. "My goal is to recover as quickly as possible so I can rejoin my cast and crew on this incredible tour," he wrote. "Thank you for your patients and understanding."
The DWTS Live tour began last month and stops in Madison, Wisconsin on Thursday. The tour is scheduled to end on March 27 in Modesto, California. The celebrities joining the pros on select dates include Mirror Ball trophy champions Kaitlyn Bristowe and Iman Shumpert, and former contestants Amanda Kloots and Jimmie Allen. Chigvintsev has participated in 10 DWTS seasons, and won Season 29 alongside Kaitlyn Bristowe. During Season 30, Chigvintsev and Melora Hardin finished sixth.
Before dropping out of the tour, Chigvintsev gushed about taking time off to spend with his fiancée Nikki Bella and their son, Matteo, who was born in July 20202. "I'm so happy that I was able to see my family on a day off even if it's just for 11hr, I miss them so much they are the most precious people in my life," he wrote alongside a collection of personal photos with Bella and Matteo. "Don't know what I would do without them. Love you both."
Although Bella and Chigvintsev have been engaged since November 2019, the two haven't set a wedding date. "I can't believe it's been a year, but I really do want to get married," Bella told Entertainment Tonight in November 2021. "I mean, selfishly, I just want to have that, like, one big day about me, I can't wait for that and to wear that dress, but I do want to marry Artem."
Bella said one reason for the delay is that that haven't been able to get Chigvintsev's parents into the U.S. during the coronavirus pandemic. "The one promise I made him before we can plan, is that his parents can attend, and with where the world's at right now and trying to get two Russian parents into the country, it's almost impossible," Bella explained. "So, the day I can get two visas, is the day we will set our date and say, 'I do.'"