Artem Chigvintsev seeks spousal support and son’s joint custody amid Nikki Garcia’s divorce filing

NAPA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA: Artem Chigvintsev has responded after his wife Nikki Garcia filed for divorce on September 11.

Garcia reportedly took the step a few days after her Russian dancer husband was arrested in late August in connection to California penal code section 273.5 (a)PC, a charge related to domestic violence.

Now, as per Us Weekly, Chigvintsev has mentioned “irreconcilable differences” as the reason for legal separation and the date of the split was stated as August 29 — the same date when he was taken into custody.

Artem Chigvintsev seeks spousal support from Nikki Garcia

In his papers, 42-year-old ‘Dancing With the Stars’ pro Artem Chigvintsev has also sought joint legal and physical custody of his four-year-old son, Matteo, whom he shares with Nikki Garcia.

His other demands include spousal support from the retired professional wrestler and fee payment for his attorneys.

The whole drama unfolded weeks after the duo celebrated their second wedding anniversary on August 26.

Artem Chigvintsev called Nikki Garcia his ‘everything’ days before separation

On their second wedding anniversary, Artem Chigvintsev took to Instagram to share photos from their wedding day.

He captioned, "Happy anniversary my love, can’t see my life without you. You are my everything ❤️.”

Garcia also honored her love by quoting lyrics from Elvis Presley’s ‘Can’t Help Falling in Love’.

She stated, “Wise men say Only fools rush in But I can’t help falling in love with you Shall I stay? Would it be, would it be a sin? If I can’t help falling in love with you Like a river flows Surely to the sea Darling, so it goes Some things, you know, are meant to be Take my hand Take my whole life too For I can’t help falling in love with you….”

The 40-year-old also wrote a personal message that read, “This song is our love story. I’ll never forget where I was when I asked Jesus about Artem. Having a conversation with He & God. How my feelings felt too soon.”

“It all felt too fast. And then this song came on. And that’s when I knew that I was falling in love with him and that it was all meant to be. 🙏🏼✨ Happy Anniversary @theartemc I love you!” it added.

Days later, on August 29, Chigvintsev was taken into custody by the Napa County Sheriff’s Department on a felony domestic violence charge falling under a California penal code that “makes it illegal to injure a spouse, cohabitant or fellow parent in an act of domestic violence".

His bail was set at $25,000, and he was released later that day.

Internet reacts as Artem Chigvintsev and Nikki Garcia split

People online have a lot to say about Artem Chigvintsev and Nikki Garcia’s situation.

An Instagram user posted, “No one truly ever knows what happens behind closed doors.”

The second user commented, “Another example of don’t compare your life to an internet front.”

The third one wrote, “Seeing this posts after hearing about his arrest is so sad…hope she and Matteo are safe and okay.”

“Social media is not real, this is all for show. Felony assault is very serious and it means her injuries were obvious. Don't believe these people's posts, she was being abused,” the fourth user stated.

An individual said, “Seeing this breaks my heart for all three of you!!”

Another one added, “Instagram is not always the reality.”

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.