Former ‘Strictly’ star will not face domestic violence charges after arrest

Former Strictly Come Dancing professional dancer Artem Chigvintsev will not face domestic violence charges following his arrest.

Chigvintsev was arrested in August on suspicion of domestic violence, but authorities have now announced that no charges will be brought against him.

The 42-year-old professional dancer posted bail of $25,000 (£19,000) at the time and it is unclear exactly what incident led to his arrest.

Napa County District Attorney Allison Haley said her office decided not to file charges after a “thorough review of the criminal investigation and a careful evaluation of the evidence.”

Haley added: “We take every arrest seriously and stand firmly against domestic violence. However, we have an ethical obligation to only file charges when the evidence supports it.”

We are required to prove each and every criminal charge beyond a reasonable doubt. This 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.”

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

The professional dancer joined Strictly in 2010 and was partnered with Eastenders actress Kara Tointon. The pair won the competition and were together for several years afterward.

The dancer’s partners were Holly Valance in 2011, Fern Britton in 2012 and Natalie Gumede from “Coronation Street” in 2013, with whom he reached second place.

In 2017, the dancer moved to the US show Dancing With The Stars and was reunited with his wife, WWE star Nikki Bella.

The couple announced their engagement two years later and tied the knot in August 2022 – they celebrated their second wedding anniversary with loving posts on social media.

The couple had a son in 2020 and starred in the E! reality show Total Bellas.

Nikki Bella and Chigvintsev previously said they found out about their pregnancy just two and a half weeks after their engagement in Paris and would marry in 2022.

Variety reported confirmation that Chigvintsev will not be joining the cast of Dancing With The Stars season 33.

Metro.co.uk has contacted representatives of Chigvintsev.

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