Nikki Garcia, aka one half of the WWE’s Bella twins, hasn’t talked an excessive amount of about her cut up final yr from Dancing with the Stars professional Artem Chigvintsev. The dancer was arrested final August on accusations of home violence (which have been later dropped), and whereas followers confirmed concern for her within the fast aftermath of the incident, Garcia opened up about being made a “villain” as she proceeded with the divorce.
The Bella twins will seem on the June 25 episode of Kristin Cavallari’s reside podcast tour Actually Cavallari, and in a sneak peek from E! Information, Nikki Bella bought actual about how most people seen her when she and Artem Chigvintsev cut up, saying:
I feel they make me, like, extra of a villain than I’m.
Her sister Brie agreed, and Kristin Cavallari additionally stated she may relate, after her marriage to retired NFL quarterback Jay Cutler resulted in 2020. The Laguna Seaside alum advised folks are likely to blame the girl — which was seemingly not helped by her status as a actuality TV villain. Equally, Nikki Bella’s WWE background might have triggered folks to misconceive her, she stated:
I really feel like once you’re badass girls and also you kick ass in a hoop, folks simply assume you are not empathetic. It is like we may go kick a lot ass and, yeah, I will choose a man out within the crowd. I will physique slam you proper now. I can do it.
She did go on to say she’d pay for the hospital invoice, at the very least.
It’s true that Nikki Bella is liable for one of the surprising heel turns in professional wrestling historical past, when she double-crossed her personal sister in 2014, however that’s only a character she performed. Brie Bella stated there’s a false impression about how powerful they’re outdoors of the ring, and Nikki agreed, saying:
Folks carry up like, ‘Nicely I do not know, 2017, your character within the ring…’ I am like, ‘That is not actual. I used to be enjoying a villain.’ I used to be enjoying a personality and so they all assume I am that particular person. I imply, I heard it in courtroom by the divorce. As a result of I used to be a robust lady, a professional wrestler.
Once more, Kristin Cavallari seemingly may relate, saying adamantly that something you do in your job in leisure shouldn’t be allowed for use towards you in a divorce.
Within the days and weeks that adopted Artem Chigvintsev’s arrest, the estranged couple every made accusations and filed restraining orders towards one another. The DWTS alum insisted he was not violent along with his spouse and that she was “the one who attacked” him.
The previous couple met in 2017, once they have been paired collectively on Dancing with the Stars. They confirmed their relationship in 2019, and Nikki Garcia gave delivery to their son Matteo the next yr. They tied the knot in 2022 and have been married for 2 years earlier than the incident.
The Traitors alum appears pleased to maintain shifting ahead, as she got here into 2025 speaking concerning the classes she’d discovered from the divorce, and he or she even advised she is likely to be open to courting once more, joking earlier this yr that she needs her “physique rocked.”
Catch extra of the Bella twins’ dialog with Kristin Cavallari on Actually Cavallari at 10 p.m. ET Wednesday, June 25, on E!, and streaming with a Peacock subscription.