Artem Chigvintsev

Artem Chigvintsev is a professional dancer and reality star. He was born in Izhevsk, Russia before he moved to the United States in 2003, which is when he started dancing with champion ballroom dancer Giselle Peacock, whom he married in 2004. The couple divorced in 2005.

Chigvintsev was a contestant on season 1 of FOX’s So You Think You Can Dance in 2005. After he was eliminated in the top eight, Chigvintsev returned for the next season as a guest choreographer. In 2009, he performed in Broadway and West End productions of Burn the Floor, a live dance show. He joined BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing in 2010 as a professional dancer. Chigvintsev, who competed on the show from season 8 to season 11, won in his first year with actress Kara Tointon. He was also the runner-up on season 11 with soap opera star Natalie Gumede.

Chigvintsev left Strictly Come Dancing for ABC’s Dancing With the Stars in 2014, which he competed on until season 27 in 2018. He started as a member of DWTS’ dance troupe, professional dancers who perform on the show but are not paired with contestants, during season 18 before he was promoted to a pro on season 19. His first celebrity partner was actress Lea Thompson. The twosome finished in sixth place. For season 25 in 2017, Chigvintsev was paired with former wrestler Nikki Garcia. The couple, who were eliminated in seventh place, started dating in January 2019.

Chigvintsev and Bella’s romance was first featured on Total Bellas, and in March 2019, she finally confirmed their relationship. Less than a year after they were first romantically linked, the Russia native proposed to Bella while in France in November 2019. The pair announced their engagement in January 2020, and later that month, they revealed they were expecting their first child together. In July 2020, the lovebirds welcomed a baby boy. The couple was married in 2022.

Chigvintsev was arrested on domestic violence charges in August 2024. He was released on bail several hours later. Chigvintsev and Garcia both filed for divorce after the arrest. In September, a judge declined to charge Chigvintsev. Garcia filed and was granted a restraining order against Chigvintsev later that month. Per online records, Chigvintsev also filed for a restraining order of his own. Garcia’s rep confirmed to Us in November 2024 that the former wrestler and Chigvintsev settled their divorce and both restraining orders were dropped.