Warning: This article contains discussions of alleged domestic violence cases in which a child was present.
Dancing with the stars alum Artem Chigvintsev Artem has been all over the news lately. First, he was arrested for domestic violence on August 29, 2024. Although the victim’s identity has not been revealed, his wife, Nikki Garcia, was present at the time of the incident. Then, several of his fellow DWTS cast members took the blame for Artem’s behavior, including Lea ThompsonThis does not paint a good picture at all.
Lea Thompson, Artem Chigvintsev’s former DWTS partner, speaks out
Leah, who teamed up with Artem during Season 19, opened up about her experience on the Sex, Lies, and Spray Tans podcast with Cheryl Burke. As a former DWTS pro, Cheryl knows all about it. “It was hard working with him because it was his first year and it was a big deal to him. He was so excited. It was more important to him than it was to me, honestly. And that made me really nervous, and it drove me crazy after a while,” Leah explained.
The actress also explained that their creative visions were different. “It was really hard for me because I was a ballet dancer and a modern dancer,” Lea said. “On the first day, he said, ‘I’ve never done any of this stuff before, I’ve only done ballroom dancing.’ I was never allowed to say, ‘Can I try this?’ He would get really mad at me.”
“I remember one time he got really mad at me because I was counting like crazy,” she continued. “He said, ‘Why are you counting like that?’” “I said, ‘I’m sorry.’ I said, ‘My brain works differently.’” It must be hard to bond and cooperate in a competitive situation.
But there was one thing Artem said to Leah that confused her. “I remember him telling me that men are much better than women,” Leah said. “And I said, ‘Why?’ And he said, ‘Because they’re stronger.’ And I said, ‘But they don’t have children.’ And I had a child.” Wow.
One of Artem’s partners on Strictly Come Dancing in 2012, TV presenter Fern Britton, spoke about her experience with Artem. Warning: it wasn’t a good one.[Artem] “He would look at my feet and kick or push me,” Fern alleged. She also claimed Artem threatened her. Not a good thing.
Nikki filed for divorce from Artem.
As for Artem and Nikki’s marriage? Nikki filed for divorce on September 11, 2024. The couple has a four-year-old son, Mateo. Right now, Artem’s arrest on charges of “physical abuse of a spouse or partner” is in the hands of the prosecutor. The office will review the case, and the prosecutor will decide what charges, if any, to bring against Artem. During this difficult time, Nikki has understandably asked for privacy. Sadly, all of these stories seem to give a disturbing glimpse into Artem’s alleged hot temper.
The Artem-free season 33 of Dancing with the Stars will premiere on September 17 at 8/7c on ABC and Disney+.
If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues mentioned in this story, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or chat at thehotline.org.
Tell us – were you surprised that some of Artem’s dance partners criticized his temperament? Do you think more of his partners will offer their criticisms?