Nikki Bella speaks up on Artem Chigvintsev divorce 'trauma', regrets faking happiness for 'public eye'

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Nikki Garcia, also known as Nikki Bella, has finally opened up about her messy split from former 'Dancing With the Stars' champion Artem Chigvintsev, who she married in 2022.

The retired WWE star, 41, spoke candidly on her podcast, 'The Nikki & Brie Show', on Monday, December 2, after a three-month hiatus following Chigvintsev’s August 28 arrest for domestic violence.

Nikki Garcia reveals her focus is on son Matteo’s protection

Nikki Garcia marked her podcast return just days after she and Artem Chigvintsev privately settled their divorce on November 21.

The 'Total Bellas' star, who shares a four-year-old son, Matteo, with Chigvintsev, began the episode acknowledging the difficulty of the past few months while explaining why she stepped away from the public eye.

"I disconnected from social media, from the world, and I just knew that I needed to disconnect because first things first, I'm a mom, and my son's protection and privacy is the most important," Nikki said.

She reiterated that she was willing to do whatever it took to prioritize Matteo’s well-being, per People.

"So I was gonna do whatever it took for that most importantly, and then just needing space for healing, for facing trauma head on, all of that," she added.

Nikki Garcia on publicly feigning happiness with Artem Chigvintsev

Sharing the emotional toll, Nikki Garcia said, "It's been really tough. I've been heartbroken. Sad. You know, you dream of having this family and you have this incredible love, and it just goes the other way."

She acknowledged the shift in her life was unexpected, adding, "I never saw any of it coming, you know, as far as, like, what the ending would be," admitting that her marriage to Chigvintsev had been a struggle despite the public facade.

"When it came to our relationship, it's sad. Like, it just hasn't been great for a long time," she said.

Nikki also shared her regrets about portraying the relationship as better than it was, saying, "I really played it up [that] things were a lot better than what they were in the public eye."

"I tried to handle this whole situation even though I was in so much pain. I was just trying to do what was best for everyone," the former WWE star said.

Nikki also explained her motivation, saying, "I wanted it for Matteo. You know, it always comes back to him. You fight for your kids. We should have probably walked away a long time ago."

Nikki Garcia admits she never knew 'your heart can break that many times'

Navigating the public nature of her breakup was another challenge for Nikki Garcia, especially dealing with misinformation.

"It's been a struggle," she said, adding, "People don't know what I've gone through to what I am going through, and you're always going to have people just assume things."

Despite the speculation, she said, "All I need to do is focus on my healing. I need to focus on Matteo's healing," before admitting, "I didn't know that your heart can break that many times in such a short period of time."

During the podcast, she stressed her priority remains protecting her son’s well-being as they move forward.

Nikki filed for divorce from Chigvintsev following his arrest for domestic violence in August.

Although prosecutors did not pursue criminal charges against him in September, the now-estranged couple have provided contrasting accounts of the incident.

The situation escalated to the point where both had restraining orders against each other, according to TMZ. However, the tension has since de-escalated, and they have agreed to dismiss the restraining orders and settle their divorce amicably.