Nikki Garcia dealing with her divorce from Artem Chigvintsev for the first time.
“I was heartbroken,” Nicki, 41, said during the Monday, Dec. 2, episode The Nikki and Brie Show Podcast.. “You dream of having this family and you have this amazing love, and things just go the other way. You go from a great love story to a terrible one.”
Monday’s episode marked Nikki’s return to the podcast, which she hosts with her twin sister Bree Garcia, following the drama between her and her ex-husband Chigvintsev, 42, which included his arrest and their split. Nicki told listeners the past few months had been “really hard” – and explained her absence from the public eye.
“I disconnected from social media, from the world, and I just knew I had to disconnect because first and foremost, I’m a mom and my son’s protection and privacy is most important,” she explained. “I was going to do whatever it took, the bottom line, and then I just needed a healing place to face the trauma.”
Nikki Garcia is taking a break from her and her twin sister Bree Garcia’s podcast amid her divorce from Artem Chigvintsev. “Nikki’s not here because, as you all know, she’s going through something personal in her life and she’s just asking for her privacy for her and her family, so we’ll give that,” (…)
Us Weekly confirmed in August that Chigvintsev was arrested for domestic violence and then charged with domestic violence a clear quarrel with Nikki in Napa. A week later, both of them filed for divorce. Nikki asked for full custody of their 4-year-old son Mateo, while Chigvintsev requested joint custody. (They too filed for restraining orders against each other.)
Artem Chigvintsev and Niki Bella
Cassidy Sparrow/Getty Imagesin November us confirmed that Niki and Chigvintsev settled their divorce.
“Nikki and Artyom have settled their divorce and will not be going to court,” Niki’s rep shared in a statement. “Both parties decided to lift the domestic violence restraining orders against each other in an effort to move on with their lives and effectively parent their son.”
During Monday’s podcast episode, Nikki said she “never” expected her marriage to end this way.
“It was a struggle,” she said. “I know that since I’m a public figure, I have to say a little bit about it, right? After that, I don’t want to ever talk about it again because I really want privacy for Matteo. That was the most important part.”
Nicky she said was “so shocked” over the past few months as the drama surrounding her breakup continued.
“You sit there and you go, I shared my life with this person. I thought it was so different,” she said. “Just to see what someone can do. You know, we’re family. No matter what, at the end of the day, even when two people divorce, if you have children, you are still a family.
Niki Bella and Artem Chigvintsev
David Livingston/Getty ImagesThe whole situation is “heartbreaking” for Nicky, who said he’s losing his appetite and crying a lot. Despite the challenges of dealing with her divorce, Nikki still puts her son first.
“This whole situation was really hard to understand. I would never have thought,” she added. “You couldn’t have told me how my 2024 was going to end. I would have thought you crazy. But one thing I realized by shutting myself off from the world, when you know the truth, nothing else matters.
