Nikki Bella’s Ex Struggles to Date Amid Public Controversy

Nikki Bella’s ex-husband is finding it hard to date.

In an interview with the Glamorous Grind podcast, Artem Chigvintsev spoke about how the controversy surrounding his divorce has affected his life afterwards.

“Even the dating world isn’t that simple. I’m not dating right now but I’ve had conversations with people and the first thing that comes up when they Google me is my mugshot. Then, you have to explain yourself and honestly I don’t want to do that. It’s uncomfortable,” he said.

Chigvintsev stated that he shouldn’t be judged for what happened.

“I don’t have the time to keep explaining myself and I don’t feel like I need to. I don’t judge people like that but if someone Googles me the first thing they see is my mugshot. Imagine how people feel when they see that? If I went on a date with someone and Googled them and saw a mugshot of course I’d want to talk about it…Being on the other side of it is exhausting. It’s draining even getting to that point. That’s just the reality. If you keep focusing on how unfair it is you’ll just end up feeling sorry for yourself and honestly when it comes to dating and things like that, I don’t even know how people find the time for it,” he said.

Chigvintsev and Bella’s relationship publicly ended following an incident on August 29, 2024. A simple argument over how to cook a muffin for their son Mateo’s breakfast erupted into accusations of violence and assault.

According to police reports, Bella claimed she threw a pair of their son’s shoes at him and then Chigvintsev tackled her outside their son’s room and pressed down on her chest so hard she felt she was “suffocating”.

Chigvintsev claimed that accusation wasn’t true and that it was Bella who struck him with the shoes and all he wanted to do was to calm things down.

Chigvintsev was arrested on suspicion of felony domestic violence. The Napa County District Attorney didn’t file any criminal charges stating there was “insufficient evidence” to move forward with any charges. The arrest occurred just two days after the couple celebrated their two-year wedding anniversary. The couple has a young son named Matteo.

As a result of their divorce settlement Bella was ordered to pay Artem Chigvintsev $3,500 for child support every month and $200,000 before the end of 2025. She also has to pay for their son Matteo’s speech therapy and half of his extracurricular activities. Court documents stated at the time that Chigvintsev claimed to have lost over $100,000 in income following a domestic violence arrest.

TMZ reported that close friends of the couple are saddened but not surprised by the turn of events. “We’re told the consistent narrative from their marriage has been that their arguments often stemmed from issues involving control and belittlement,” 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.

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.