Nikki Garcia Hints At What Went Wrong With Artem Chigvintsev

Nikki Garcia is stepping into the new year with a fresh perspective and a focus on self-growth.

On the December 30 episode of “The Nikki & Brie Show” podcast, Garcia took the mic solo to candidly share the lessons she’s learned throughout 2024. The former WWE star and reality TV personality opened up about her personal journey, offering insights that seemed to allude to her recent divorce from Artem Chigvintsev, which followed his domestic violence arrest in August.

During her podcast session, Nikki Garcia reflected on the emotional toll of trying to “fix” others in relationships and encouraged listeners to recognize these patterns early and understand the importance of setting boundaries before those behaviors become deeply ingrained issues.

One topic she mentioned researching was the “divine feminine,” which helped her embrace the idea that she doesn’t need “to fix, change or improve others.”

“We aren’t here to fix other people, we just aren’t,” the “Total Bellas” alum explained. “We’re here to lead by example. We are here to teach our children, nurture our children, teach others — lead by example — but we are not here to fix. And it took me 41 years to realize that, and I’m definitely taking that into my 2025.”

“You can be there for support, but you aren’t there to fix, especially in relationships that you have,” she added.

Chigvintsev was arrested on suspicion of domestic violence on August 29 in Napa County, but the District Attorney ultimately chose not to file criminal charges. On September 11, Garcia filed for divorce, seeking sole legal and physical custody of their child, with supervised visitation rights for Chigvintsev. Additionally, she requested the court terminate spousal support for both parties.

While reflecting on the energy she had spent trying to fix others, she encouraged listeners to identify this behavior early on, before it turned into an issue.

“If you’re in that kind of relationship that you are fixing, you need to find your way out,” she said on her podcast. “Because trying to fix someone isn’t going to bring love and happiness and change. You’re honestly, in the end, gonna drain yourself and just bring sadness. And so that hit me really hard, because I definitely am now in that space, and this new era of me in 2025 is no longer fixing. I will lead. I will help. I will support. I will love, but I will not fix.”

She later said, “God will come to them and help them get on that path.”

Chigvintsev responded to Garcia’s filing by requesting joint custody, spousal support from his estranged wife, and coverage of his attorney’s fees. While details of the settlement remain unclear, the reality star’s representative stated at the time.

“Nikki’s number one priority has always been her son and privacy on the matter,” her rep said in November. “She is thankful for all of the love and support she has received during this difficult time.”

“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. 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 said, referring to her 4-year-old son, Matteo, whom she shares with Chigvintsev.

“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 continued. “And you go from having a great love story to having a terrible one. And I never saw any of it coming, you know, as far as, like, what the ending would be.”

The retired WME star officially finalized her divorce from the “Dancing with the Stars” pro last month through private mediation. According to a statement from a representative in November, the pair, who share their 4-year-old son Matteo, agreed “to drop the domestic violence restraining orders against each other in an effort to move on with their lives and effectively co-parent their son.”

As she looks ahead to 2025, Nikki Garcia seems determined to prioritize her own well-being and continue sharing her wisdom with fans.