It’s been almost a year since the incident between the WWE’s Nikki Bella and Dancing with the Stars’ Artem Chigvintsev that led to his arrest on domestic violence charges and their divorce soon after. While she’s definitely made efforts to maintain privacy through the very public breakup, Bella recently opened up about how co-parenting with her ex-husband has been, as she defended herself to a fan who questioned how much time she spends with her child.
Nikki Garcia (who uses the stage name Nikki Bella) has opened up a few times about what she learned from her split from Artem Chigvintsev, as well as what she’s looking for in a man, but now she’s given some rare insight into her shared custody agreement with the DWTS pro after a fan called her parenting into question. It all started when Garcia slammed a fan who asked if her son Matteo “ever” saw her. She responded to the comment, writing (via E! News):
Wonder if you write that to Dad’s [sic]? And yes he was with me :) All week. Just bc I don’t post him all the time doesn’t mean he isn’t with me. I try to keep as much as I can private for his sake.
One aspect of the split that Nikki Bella has addressed since last August is how her tough persona as a pro wrestler [don’t miss our WWE Evolution predictions] has caused people to cast her as a “villain” in her divorce. This fan’s query is likely exactly the kind of criticism she was talking about, as they appeared to assume that Bella posting about work on social media meant that she wasn't spending any time with Matteo, who will turn 5 later this month.
She continued to address the situation in an Instagram Story, where she let fans in on how co-parenting is going with Artem Chigvintsev. She wrote:
My son is with me a lot. Majority of the week when I'm home. Every Tuesday when I land I drive straight to get him. And drop off on Sundays when I leave. Sometimes I am gone longer and his Dad and I have a great coparent system. He understands how much he needs his mommy.
After everything they’ve been through, it’s great to hear that The Traitors alum and Artem Chigvintsev have a “great” system in place. It sounds like her ex-husband is flexible, too, and while she typically has Matteo for most of the week, the professional dancer is able to keep him more when she has business to do.
Nikki Garcia urged fans not to jump to conclusions just because she doesn’t post a lot of photos with her son, saying that she will share “certain moments every now and then” but also wants to protect Matteo’s privacy. She concluded:
So please no more comments like this. Maybe shouldn't have responded but triggered bc a small group of you think if your kid isn't posted all the time he isn't with you.
Nikki Garcia and Artem Chigvintsev broke up after an incident August 29, 2024, that led to the dancer’s arrest on domestic violence charges. Prosecutors later dropped the charges, and Chigvintsev has insisted he was “not violent” with his wife.
While the former couple has gone through some tough times, it’s good to hear that they’ve apparently settled into a good co-parenting routine a year later — even if fans don’t always see it.
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