Nikki “Bella” Garcia has obtained a restraining order against her husband Artem Chigvintsev. He is prohibited from coming within 100 yards or contacting Garcia, their son or their home, with the exception of visitation or one parent passing their son to the other per court-ordered visits.
According to TMZ, Garcia stated in the report that Chigvintsev has grown “increasingly angry”, “snapping” and “yelling” at her since Dancing with the Stars dumped him. Chigvintsev has been a professional dancer on UK’s Strictly Come Dancing and the American Dancing with the Stars.
The morning of the domestic incident, Garcia says she spoke to Chigvintsev about controlling his anger. Later, she stated, he flew off the handle about how their son’s muffin should be toasted. Yelling, he accused her of making him into a “picky eater”.
“Nikki says she was so overwhelmed by Artem yelling at her, she threw Matteo’s toddler-sized 7 shoes toward Artem. She says the shoes hit his leg but were so light they couldn’t have hurt him. She says Artem grabbed Matteo and ran with him upstairs, as the boy screamed, “Mommy! Mommy!” She says as she tried to get in the room, Artem opened the door and tackled her to the ground outside Matteo’s room. She says he grabbed her arms and held her on the ground for what felt like 30 seconds,” wrote TMZ.
She claims Chigvintsev went into and closed the door to Matteo’s room. She couldn’t get it open. She says Chigvintsev pushed her across the hall forcing her onto the floor of their bedroom pinning her down.
“She says he had his hands on her chest near her sternum, pressing down — she says she felt like she was suffocating — and she says she grabbed at his neck in an attempt to get him off,” reported TMZ.
When the police arrived and investigated Matteo told them that his daddy “hurt” his hand.
Garcia says that Chigvintsev has been physically violent and verbally abusive with her before. She details an incident in which he grabbed her wrist last year and pulled her away from Matteo.
“She says she doesn’t want her son to grow up in a tumultuous environment as she did. Nikki wants Artem to get the help he needs with therapy and anger management — and for her and Matteo to have enough space away from him until he has bettered himself,” wrote TMZ.
Garcia has admitted in the past that their marriage had issues when it came to how he spoke, communicated with her and they attended couples therapy.
Garcia has filed for divorce from Chigvintsev. Prosecutors didn’t charge Chigvintsev with domestic abuse as they didn’t have enough evidence to charge him.
In a recent statement, Chigvintsev stated: (Matteo) is my world, and being his father is the greatest blessing in my life. All along, my main concern has been for him. I am committed to continuing to provide him with the love, support, and care he needs as we move forward. I am hopeful that securing an equal custody arrangement will help us move on,” he continued. “I want to express my deepest gratitude to my family, friends, and legal team for standing by me during this challenging time. Your support has been invaluable, and I am thankful to everyone who believed in me and saw the truth for what it was,” he concluded. “I look forward to moving past this chapter and focusing on what truly matters—continue being the best father I can be.”
Chigvintsev was also accused of abuse while participating in the 2012 season of Strictly Come Dancing in Britain by his dance partner Fern Britton.
“He (Chigvintsev) would look at my feet and just kick me or shove me,” she told The Huffington Post UK.
She added: “He was like, ‘Shut your face. Go home before I kill you.’”
A source also told The Sun he would mock her weight too.
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