There’s nothing worse then your current girlfriend bringing up an ex, even if it’s in a joking matter. For Artem Chigvintsev, he was the victim of a playful shot by his girlfriend and former Dancing with the Stars partner, Nikki Bella. The two appeared as co-hosts on Entertainment Tonight’s podcast with Keltie Knight. During the broadcast, the two discussed the new season and its new rules.
“When I did Strictly Come Dancing in the U.K. for four years, that’s how they do it,” Artem explained. “I feel like I’m a little bit biased on this one. Because I love the people to be involved … but I also feel that the judges are the experts, so having that option is good, too. We’ll see how it goes.”
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It was after that when Bella decided to throw a jab at Artem.
Remember, the two competed on the dancing competition and lasted seven weeks on the show.
“I like it,” Bella said referencing the new voting format. “I think we would have lasted longer if we had that option. I think Carrie Ann [Inaba] totally would have saved us. And not because you guys dated… but she really liked my technique!”
Artem simply put a paper up to his face and said, “Speaking of the hot seat, today.”
Artem and Dancing with the Stars Inaba dated for two and a half years. The two split in 2009.
In an interview with PEOPLE, Inaba said the two just weren’t met to be together.
“As much as our relationship was really good… it was very sad to let go of something that was so good on so many levels,” she said.
As for Artem and Bella, the two have been together for almost five months. On a podcast with her sister, Brie Bella, Nikki shared how special Artem makes her feel.
“He just makes me laugh and it’s just easy to be around him and he makes me feel stress free,” she said.
Nikki previously was with wrestler-turned-actor John Cena before calling their engagment off. They were together for six years. Speaking with PEOPLE, Bella says she still gets emotional thinking about the split, however she is happy to have moved on with Artem.
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NEW YORK CITY – DECEMBER 19: "Toil and Trouble" – Elsbeth is thrown into the world of television after the showrunner of a long-running police procedural is brutally murdered in his office, and although it appears to be the act of a disgruntled fan, she begins to suspect the show's longtime star Regina Coburn (Laurie Metcalf) who yearns for artistic fulfillment. Meanwhile, Judge Crawford (Michael Emerson) continues to be a thorn in Elsbeth's side, on the CBS original series ELSBETH, Thursday, Dec. 19 (10:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network, and streaming on Paramount+ (live and on demand for Paramount+ with SHOWTIME subscribers, or on demand for Paramount+ Essential subscribers the day after the episode airs). Pictured (L-R): Carrie Preston as Elsbeth Tascioni and Carra Patterson as Kaya Blanke. (Photo by Michael Parmelee/CBS via Getty Images)
