Artem Chigvintsev is all smiles with his son Matteo, 4, on his first Instagram since splitting from Nikki Garcia.
Chigvintsev, 42, shared four black and white photos with his son on Sunday, December 22. In the pictures, the father-son duo is lying down, with two photos showing them laughing with their mouths wide open. Matteo hugs Chigvintsev, bringing their faces together, in a third image.
The former Dancing With the Stars pro shares Matteo with ex-wife Garcia, 41.
Chigvintsev and Garcia began dating in 2019, two years after competing together on season 25 of DWTS. The former couple welcomed Matteo in 2020 and married in 2022.
This past August, shortly after Chigvintsev and Garcia celebrated their second wedding anniversary, the professional dancer was arrested for domestic battery and booked on a felony domestic violence charge after an apparent altercation with his then-wife. (The charges against him were dropped in September following a “thorough” investigation, Napa County District Attorney Allison Haley shared at the time.)
Chigvintsev and Garcia later filed for divorce following the incident in which the former WWE Diva sought full custody of Matteo and Chigvintsev sought joint custody. Both filed restraining orders opposite to others, which have since been withdrawn.
Us Weekly confirmed in November that their divorce had been settled.
“Nikki and Artem have settled their divorce and will not go to court,” Garcia’s spokesperson said in a statement. “Both sides have to drop domestic violence restraining orders against each other in an effort to move on with their lives and be good parents to their child. “
Garcia broke her silence about the divorce in a December episode of her podcast, “The Nikki & Brie Show,” which she hosts alongside her dual sister Brie Garcia.
“I’m heartbroken,” Garcia told listeners. “You dream of having this circle of family and you have this wonderful love, and it’s happening in another direction. We went from a wonderful love story to a terrible one.
García further explained his silence, noting that he was looking to “disconnect” to prioritize Matteo’s needs.
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“I am a mother and coverage and privacy for my child are the most important issues,” she said. “I’m going to do whatever it takes for this, the most important thing, and then I just needed space to heal, to face the trauma head on. ”
Dealing with the divorce had been “a struggle” over the past few months.
“I know as a public figure I have to communicate a little bit about this, right?” Garcia pointed out. “After this, I will never have to communicate it again, because I need privacy for Matteo. This was the most vital part.
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