Artem Chigvintsev was granted a restraining order against his estranged wife, Nikki Bella (a k a Nikki Garcia), on Thursday, the same day she was granted a protective order against him, The Post can reveal.
The competing restraining orders stem from an August altercation between the then-couple that led to Chigvintsev’s arrest on suspicion of domestic violence. The former “Dancing With the Stars” pro was ultimately not charged.
In a statement given to The Post on Chigvintsev’s behalf by his lawyer, Ilona Antonyan, Chigvintsev denies Bella’s allegations that he tackled her and insists “he was not the primary aggressor.”
“It is crucial to consider the motivations of both parties in this situation,” Antonyan said.
“Mr. Chigvintsev contacted law enforcement on 8/29/24 seeking protection from his wife’s persistent aggression. While he was on the phone with the police, Ms. Garcia-Colace made a pointed statement, saying, ‘Do you understand where this is going now, Artem? You just ruined my career, and you know it.’”
Antonyan continued, “That day, someone was going to be arrested, and it wouldn’t have been Mr. Chigvintsev if Ms. Garcia Colace had told the truth.
“[Chigvintsev] denies ever tackling her. He was shocked to learn two weeks after the incident that she made this allegation against him; at that point it made sense to him why he was arrested.”
The dance pro’s lawyer went on, “As a result of wife’s self-serving statement, Mr. Chigvintsev’s career suffered, with numerous opportunities being canceled due to these false allegations. Men can also be victims of domestic violence; Mr. Chigvintsev’s case highlights this reality. He was not the primary aggressor.”
In his complaint obtained by The Post, Chigvintsev, 42, agreed with Bella’s claim in her petition that their altercation began with a fight over their 4-year-old son, Matteo, and his breakfast, though each tells a different version of how this dispute arose. In his petition, Chigvintsev says Bella criticized him on the morning of August 29 for not having their child’s breakfast and packed lunch prepared and complained that their son’s muffin was not toasted enough.
According to Chigvintsev, Bella seemed “stressed due to her job that was coming up” as host of the Netflix live competitive eating special, “Unfinished Beef.”
“She continued saying that she does everything, and I don’t help, which is absolutely false,” Chigvintsev went on, claiming that his wife continued to berate him as he took their son toward the door to leave for school.
The fight then allegedly escalated during a discussion about their son’s shoes. “[Bella] completely lost it and started screaming ‘get the f – – k out of my house, I am sick of all of it, I had enough,’” Chigvintsev said in his restraining order request.
This was “followed by [her] forcefully throwing both of Matteo’s sneakers at me,” he continued, saying that “she hit my chest area” but “fortunately the shoes did not hit Matteo although he was right next to me.”
“[M]y first reaction was obviously safety of Matteo because he was standing right by my side,” he recalled.
Matteo was “very confused and look frightened” while Bella “continue[d] yelling about wanting a divorce,” according to Chigvintsev.
At this point, the “DWTS” vet alleged he “had to protect” their son and was “pleading with [Bella] to please stop this and calm down.
“I took Matteo into my arms, and tried to deescalate the situation and take him upstairs to his room,” he continued. But he says this only had the effect of escalating the conflict.
Once inside their son’s room, Chigvintsev alleged the former WWE Diva “tried to force herself in to open the door.
“I could not hold it, because she’s quite strong. As soon as the door began opening, Matteo start[ed] crying,” he alleged. “I did not want him seeing his mother angry and confrontational in his bedroom. I wanted to protect Matteo from her lack of self-control at the moment.”
Chigvintsev added, “I squeezed myself through the door opening and tried to push myself out, while Petitioner continued to physically attack me and push her way in.
“I tried to get her off me and away from the door frame so that Matteo would not witness any further conflict. I cannot stress enough how many times I pleaded with her to stop and calm down.”
Chigvintsev conceded in his filing at this point, “There was a mutual struggle, and both ended up on the ground.”
Eventually, he alleged, he was able to find his phone and call 911, waiting outside for law enforcement to show up. He said he was shocked when he was arrested and claims his wife lied to sheriffs.
“I had no idea what she told the police, but to my surprise I ended up getting arrested,” Chigvintsev said in his filing. “I was not the primary aggressor, she definitely was.
“Since the 8/29/24 incident, I learned on 9/13/24 that she lied to the police that I tackled her twice, which is absolutely false.”
Chigvintsev also disputed Bella’s claim that “she was holding our son and I grabbed Matteo from her and barricaded myself in the room.”
“This was a complete LIE,” he said. “But it mase [sic] sense why I was arrested instead of her.”
In his restraining order request, the dancer also provided photos that purportedly show wounds he sustained as a result of his fight with Bella.
Napa County Department of Corrections
The counter claims made in Chigvintsev’s restraining order request directly contradict claims Bella made in her protective order request filed Monday.
“[Artem] tackled me multiple times and pinned me to the ground while our child was present,” the “Total Divas” star alleged in court documents viewed by TMZ.
According to Bella, Chigvintsev had become “increasingly angry, snapping at me, and yelling” after learning that he wasn’t being asked back for Season 33 of “Dancing With the Stars.” As she tells it, it was the dance pro who became angry because of how she had toasted their son’s English muffin, blaming her for the 4-year-old being a “picky eater.”
Bella confessed to throwing her son’s shoes at the dancer, striking him in the leg. She alleged he then grabbed their toddler and ran upstairs, with the child screaming, “Mommy! Mommy!”
The reality star claimed her husband tackled her to the ground, pushed her across a hall and forced her to the floor of their bathroom before allegedly starting to press down on her chest near her sternum. Bella said she then grabbed at Chigvintsev’s neck to get him off her.
Per the court order granting Chigvintsev’s restraining order request, for the time being the pair will share joint custody of their son and “there shall be reasonable daily FaceTime contact between the child and non custodial parent.”
A judge also decreed that “neither parent shall make negative statements about the other in the presence of hearing of the child or question the child about the other parent.”
Both parties are seeking permanent restraining orders against the other and are due back in court on October 21 for a hearing to consider the requests.
Bella filed for divorce from her husband of two years on September 11 and asked for sole legal and physical custody of their son. Chigvintsev responded to the former wrestling star’s petition asking for joint custody and spousal support.
The pair had celebrated their wedding anniversary just three days before their physical altercation.
If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1.800.799.SAFE (7233) or text START to 88788.
