Former Strictly star Artem Chigvintsev will not face charges following domestic violence investigation

Artem Chigvintsev will not be charged with domestic violence, US authorities confirmed. The 42-year-old, who previously Be sure to come and dancewas arrested and charged with assault on a spouse on August 29. Two days earlier, Artem had celebrated his second wedding anniversary with WWE with Nikki Garcia as the star.

On the day of his arrest, Artem was later released on $25,000 bail. His wife Nikki, with whom he has a son, has since filed for divorce.

Following an investigation, Napa County District Attorney Allison Haley confirmed that no criminal charges would be filed against Artem following a “thorough review of the criminal investigation and careful evaluation of the evidence.”

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In an official statement on September 25, the district attorney said: “We take every arrest seriously and stand firmly against domestic violence. However, we have an ethical obligation to only file charges when supported by evidence. We are obligated to prove each and every charge ‘beyond a reasonable doubt,’ which is the highest standard in the American criminal justice system.”

“If the available evidence does not meet this level of proof, it is ethically impossible for us to bring charges,” she concluded.

A further statement said: “The Napa County District Attorney’s Office does not normally issue press releases when it declines to file charges against a specific individual. However, in this case it has done so because the office has received significant media attention since Mr. Chigvintsev’s arrest.”

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After the investigation is complete, Artem will finalize his divorce from Nikki in the coming months. According to People, she has filed for custody and residency rights for their son Matteo. Irreconcilable differences were cited as the reason for the divorce. After Artem’s arrest, Nikki has refrained from commenting on his arrest.

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The professional wrestler and mother of one first met Artem in 2017 after they came together on season 25 of Dancing with the Stars. Artem, who is from Russia, previously competed on Be sure to come and dance from 2010 to 2013 and won the show in his first year. In 2014 he moved to the US and began performing Dancing with the stars.

During their time as dance partners, Artem and Nikki were friends, but after the WWE After the star split from John Cena, she got back together with him. Their romance was confirmed in 2019 and in 2020, Nikki confirmed that she and Artem were expecting their first child. They married in Paris in August 2022 and the couple shared photos of their wedding rings, not to mention a snap of them admiring the Eiffel Tower. “We said YES,” they wrote.