'DWTS' Pro Artem Chigvintsev Arrested for Domestic Violence
"Dancing with the Stars" professional dancer Artem Chigvintsev was arrested on Thursday in Napa County, California, on suspicion of domestic violence, just three days after celebrating his wedding anniversary with wife Nikki Bella.
Chigvintsev was taken into custody at approximately 9:40 am local time and booked at 10:40 am, according to records obtained by Fox News Digital. He was arrested for violation of California Penal Code Section 273.5(a) PC, which covers domestic violence and corporal injury to a spouse, former spouse, cohabitant, former cohabitant, or the mother or father of his or her child. Bail was set at £20,000.
It remains unclear whether Bella, whose real name is Nikki Garcia, was involved in the incident. Representatives for Chigvintsev, Bella, and "Dancing with the Stars" have not yet responded to requests for comment.
Fox News has confirmed that Chigvintsev was not scheduled to participate in the upcoming 33rd season of "Dancing with the Stars," which is due to premiere next month.
The arrest comes just two days after Bella celebrated the couple's second wedding anniversary on social media. In a heartfelt Instagram post, she shared a video montage of their wedding day, accompanied by the song "Can't Help Falling In Love," and wrote: "This song is our love story...I'll never forget where I was when I asked Jesus about Artem. Having a conversation with He & God. How my feelings felt too soon. It all felt too fast. And then this song came on. And thatâs when I knew that I was falling in love with him and that it was all meant to be."
Chigvintsev also posted his own anniversary tribute on Instagram, writing: "Happy anniversary my love, can't see my life without you. You are my everything."
The couple share a four-year-old son, Matteo.
Chigvintsev and Bella first met in 2017 while partnered together on season 25 of "DWTS." Bella was engaged to John Cena at the time, but the couple ultimately ended their engagement in 2018.
Bella and Chigvintsev became engaged in November 2019 during a vacation in Paris. They welcomed their son Matteo in July 2020.
Bella has spoken openly about her struggles with postpartum depression following the birth of Matteo, which she revealed impacted her marriage at times. In an October 2020 episode of her podcast "The Bellas," Bella shared: "Heâs like, âAt times, I felt like you were starting to hate me.' Heâs like, âYou could be mean.â And Iâm not gonna lie, I did have moments of being mean. I felt bad for Artem, because it made him feel terrible, and then he's like, 'I wish you came to me sooner.'"
"He was just so sad at the fact that I was feeling all these things and I never told him," she concluded.
This developing story continues to unfold, with further updates anticipated.
