Nikki Garcia's twin sister Brie 'encouraged' her to leave Artem Chigvintsev after domestic violence arrest
NAPA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA: Brie Garcia is not fond of Artem Chigvintsev and reportedly "encouraged" her twin sister, Nikki Garcia (formerly known as Nikki Bella), to leave the 'Dancing with the Stars' pro following his recent domestic violence arrest.
Artem was arrested on suspicion of felony domestic violence on August 29. The 42-year-old, who was released on $25,000 bail, was booked on California penal code 273.5(a), which deals with injury to a spouse, cohabitant, or fellow parent.
The WWE star officially filed for divorce on Wednesday, September 11.
Brie Garcia found Artem Chigvintsev's 'controlling behavior' troubling
"Brie encouraged Nikki to leave the marriage. Any sort of violence does not fly, and they were very worried about Nikki and her son," told an insider to ET on Saturday, September 14, as per Daily Mail.
The source claimed that Nikki, who shares a four-year-old son, Matteo Artemovich Chigvintsev, with Artem, was "scared and rattled" by the circumstances. They confirmed that the couple wasn't "living under the same roof."
Another tipster revealed to Life & Style, "[Brie is] worried about his temper. Like a lot of people, she found his sometimes controlling behavior troubling. There were fears things might escalate."
"The feeling right now is that there’s no going back. Nikki’s looking for a lawyer," added the source.
Some of Nikki's friends seemed to agree with Brie when she issued her warning. A source exclusively told Life & Style, "Friends are telling Nikki she married a monster."
"Artem is known to have a temper. He’s a perfectionist and that makes him impatient at times. Nikki made excuses for him, saying it was because he was so passionate about his craft," the insider claimed.
They shared that Artem and Nikki had a "volatile" marriage. "He came across as angry to a good many people, including his former partners and colleagues," stated the source.
According to those close to Artem, he has been having an incredibly challenging time. The mole who spoke to ET said, "He feels unprepared to deal with everything coming his way."
Brie Garcia was 'disgusted' by Artem Chigvintsev's domestic violence arrest
An insider close to Brie Garcia previously disclosed to Daily Mail that she was "disgusted" by the news of Artem Chigvintsev's arrest.
Authorities at the Napa County Sheriff's Office did not disclose the name, gender, or age of the accused victim due to regulations safeguarding their identity; however, rumors claimed Artem was accused of causing physical harm to a spouse.
The source disclosed that should the circumstances turn out to be as serious as they appear, Brie was pushing her sister to split from her husband.
"Nikki's sister Brie is disgusted, shocked, disappointed and just sad that this happened," told the tipster at the time.
The source added, "She [Nikki] loves Artem, and for this to be going down is so out of the realm of possibility of the person who she knows. Brie is very concerned about it all and is there for her sister at all costs."
"Brie, who is obviously the closest to Nikki, as anyone would, is telling her to leave Artem if this is as bad as it seems, and if it happened before, once she finds out everything that happened, she will be the first to tell Nikki to leave him," added the source.
In her divorce filing, Nikki has requested complete physical and legal custody of their son Matteo, with Artem being granted visitation, as per Page Six. She also asked for the denial of spousal support.
However, Artem requested for shared legal and physical custody of Matteo as well as spousal support. In addition, he demanded that Nikki cover his legal costs and fees.
