Nikki Garcia, aka one half of the WWE’s Bella twins, hasn’t talked too much about her split last year from Dancing with the Stars pro Artem Chigvintsev. The dancer was arrested last August on accusations of domestic violence (which were later dropped), and while fans showed concern for her in the immediate aftermath of the incident, Garcia opened up about being made a “villain” as she proceeded with the divorce.
The Bella twins will appear on the June 25 episode of Kristin Cavallari’s live podcast tour Honestly Cavallari, and in a sneak peek from E! News, Nikki Bella got real about how the general public viewed her when she and Artem Chigvintsev split, saying:
I think they make me, like, more of a villain than I am.
Her sister Brie agreed, and Kristin Cavallari also said she could relate, after her marriage to retired NFL quarterback Jay Cutler ended in 2020. The Laguna Beach alum suggested people tend to blame the woman — which was likely not helped by her reputation as a reality TV villain. Similarly, Nikki Bella’s WWE background may have caused people to misunderstand her, she said:
I feel like when you’re badass women and you kick ass in a ring, people just assume you’re not empathetic. It’s like we could go kick so much ass and, yeah, I’ll pick a guy out in the crowd. I’ll body slam you right now. I can do it.
She did go on to say she’d pay for the hospital bill, at least.
It’s true that Nikki Bella is responsible for one of the most shocking heel turns in pro wrestling history, when she double-crossed her own sister in 2014, but that’s just a character she played. Brie Bella said there’s a misconception about how tough they are outside of the ring, and Nikki agreed, saying:
People bring up like, ‘Well I don’t know, 2017, your character in the ring…’ I’m like, ‘That’s not real. I was playing a villain.’ I was playing a character and they all think I’m that person. I mean, I heard it in court through the divorce. Because I was a strong woman, a pro wrestler.
Again, Kristin Cavallari seemingly could relate, saying adamantly that anything you do for your job in entertainment shouldn’t be allowed to be used against you in a divorce.
In the days and weeks that followed Artem Chigvintsev’s arrest, the estranged couple each made accusations and filed restraining orders against each other. The DWTS alum insisted he was not violent with his wife and that she was “the one who attacked” him.
The former couple met in 2017, when they were paired together on Dancing with the Stars. They confirmed their relationship in 2019, and Nikki Garcia gave birth to their son Matteo the following year. They tied the knot in 2022 and were married for two years before the incident.
The Traitors alum seems happy to keep moving forward, as she came into 2025 talking about the lessons she’d learned from the divorce, and she even suggested she might be open to dating again, joking earlier this year that she wants her “body rocked.”
Catch more of the Bella twins’ conversation with Kristin Cavallari on Honestly Cavallari at 10 p.m. ET Wednesday, June 25, on E!, and streaming with a Peacock subscription.
