Nikki Garcia ‘played up’ Artem Chigvintsev romance ‘for a long time’ to avoid ‘another failed public relationship’
Nikki Garcia’s divorce from Artem Chigvintsev was “a long time” coming.
The retired professional wrestler confessed to “Nikki & Brie Show” podcast listeners Monday that she had previously been “play[ing] up” her relationship with the dancer in the public eye.
“I wanted [him] to heal. I wanted [him] to get help … because that’s what my son, [Matteo] deserves,” she explained during her emotional return to the podcast after months away.
“It’s sad,” Garcia added. “[The relationship] hasn’t been great for a long time. I really played it up like things were a lot better than they were in the public eye. I felt like, ‘If I can just put this person on a pedestal … maybe they can believe that in themselves.’
“I didn’t want another failed public relationship,” she continued, referencing her on-again, off-again romance with former fiancé John Cena.
After splitting for good from the actor in 2018, Garcia moved on with Chigvintsev and married him four years later.
The former “Dancing With the Stars” pro, 42, was arrested in August on felony domestic violence charges — which were dropped the following month.
Garcia filed for divorce at the time, requesting full legal and physical custody of their 4-year-old son, Matteo.
The exes reached a co-parenting agreement and settled their divorce in November.
Garcia feels “heartbroken” and “betrayed,” telling podcast listeners Monday that she has had to “mourn” the family she envisioned for herself.
“You go from having a great love story to having a terrible one,” she explained. “Never saw any of it coming as far as what the ending would be. It’s been a struggle.”
The athlete admitted to having a “tough” time in the wake of their breakup, stressing her focus on “healing.”
She went on to clarify that she doesn’t have “regrets” over how she acted during the tumultuous romance.
“I came at it with love,” Garcia said. “The day Matteo wants to sit and talk about it, I have all the proof that I tried to handle everything with love and care. All I wanted to do was to protect [him].”
Her sister, Brie Garcia, confirmed that Nikki doesn’t “care” about negative headlines or “lies” about her behavior despite being “shocked” to see allegations made about her.
The dancer, notably, claimed Nikki abused him in a September filing, with his lawyer calling her the “primary aggressor.”
Brie, 41, subsequently shaded Chigvintsev with an Instagram post about “the truth always com[ing] out in the end.”
On Monday, she praised her sibling for staying off of social media and “keep[ing] things so private when [she] didn’t have to.”
