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Nikki Garcia split from Artem Chigvintsev in August but has kept silent on the matter since then. The retired pro wrestler has now come out to talk about the decision to call it quits on her marriage to Chigvintsev on Monday’s episode of “The Nikki & Brie Show” podcast.
Nikki Garcia Disconnected From the World
Garcia acknowledged that the entire situation has been “heartbreaking” for her . She also noted that she “disconnected” from everything for a while so that she could “mourn” her family.
Nikki Garcia scrubbed her social media clean and disappeared for a few months as she dealt with the heaviness of her split from Artem Chigvinstev. Upon her return to the spotlight, she opened up about what the last few months have been like.
“I disconnected from social media, from the world, and I just knew that I needed to disconnect because first things first, I’m a mom and my son’s protection and privacy is the most important,” she told listeners on her podcast. “I was going to do whatever it took for that most importantly, and then just needing space for healing, for facing trauma head-on.”
The TV personality also said, “You dream of having this family and you have this incredible love, and it just goes the other way. You go from having a great love story to having a terrible one.”
Coparenting Amid the Split From Artem
On the December 2 episode of the podcast, Nikki Gracia addressed the split, saying that this would be the last time she spoke about it. “I know being a public figure, I have to say a little bit about this, right?” she said. “After this, I don’t want to ever talk about [it] again, because I truly do want privacy for Matteo. That has been the most important part.”
She went on to say that, even though they are broken up and things turned out so terribly, they are “still a family” because of their son.
It was confirmed that Chigvinstev was arrested and booked in August on felony domestic violence charges. One week later, Nikki Garcia and her husband split, with the former seeking full custody of their four-year-old son Matteo. In return, Chigvinstev requested joint custody. Both parties also filed for restraining orders against each other.
The pair finalized their divorce in November, but they still have not come to an agreement regarding custody of their son. A representative for Garcia said that they would not be going to court for the divorce. Additionally, “both parties decided to drop the domestic violence restraining orders against each other in an effort to move on with their lives and effectively coparent their son.”
At the end of the day, Nikki Garcia made it clear she doesn’t plan on continuing to discuss the split. However, she is doing everything she can to move on from the trauma of the divorce and be the best mom she can be.
