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Artem Chigvintsev is reportedly demanding his estranged wife, Nikki Garcia (aka Nikki Bella), grant him joint custody of their son and provide spousal support.
The former “Dancing With The Stars” pro made his demands in court documents he filed Friday, according to documents obtained by Us Weekly. Chigvintsev was responding to Bella’s divorce petition which she submitted just two days ago, on Wednesday, September 11.
Bella filed for divorce just weeks after Chigvintsev was arrested for felony domestic violence. Prosecutors have not revealed whether they intend to file charges.
Chigvintsev listed irreconcilable differences as the reason for the breakdown in his and Bella’s marriage. His court filing marked the date of the couple’s separation as August 29, the day he was arrested by sheriffs in Napa County, California.
Chigvintsev and Bella share a 4-year-old son, Matteo. Bella has asked for sole legal and physical custody of their only child.
The “DWTS” alum, in addition to seeking joint custody and spousal support, is asking the former “Total Divas” star to pay his attorneys fees and costs.
In the docs viewed by Us Weekly, Chigvintsev is reportedly claiming “putative spouse” status for a period of time beginning August 26, 2022 and ending January 19, 2023.
A putative spouse is a person in a legally invalid marriage despite believing that they are married in the eyes of the law. Though Chigvintsev and Bella married in a lavish ceremony in Paris, France back in August 2022, they didn’t get legally married in the US until January 2023, according to the court documents.
Chigvintsev was arrested just days after the couple celebrated their second wedding anniversary, an occasion that spurred both partners to effuse over the other on social media.
Despite appearances, however, the couple’s relationship had reportedly been “volatile” for years. Sources close to the couple told TMZ that there had been instances of verbal abuse in the past, with issues of “control and belittlement” taking center stage. One insider said they found news of Chigvintsev’s arrest “shocking but not shocking.”
The dancer and the diva met when Bella was a contestant on “DWTS” in 2017.
The altercation on August 29 that led to Chigvintsev’s arrest began because he made a 911 call requesting medical assistance, according to dispatch audio obtained by TMZ. Chigvintsev reportedly told the 911 operator that Bella had thrown shoes at him.
However, a follow-up call was then made to 911 canceling the request. And though firefighters and paramedics cancelled their trip to the house the couple share in Napa, Chigvintsev was arrested a short while later.
This is a developing story …
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.