Brie Garcia is supporting her twin sister Nikki, reportedly advising her to end things with Artem Chigvintsev following his recent arrest for domestic violence.
The 40-year-old former pro wrestler ‘encouraged’ her sister to end her two-year marriage just days before her estranged husband filed for joint custody of their four-year-old son, Matteo, amid their ongoing divorce, a source told ET on Saturday.
‘Brie encouraged Nikki to leave the marriage. Any sort of violence does not fly, and they were very worried about Nikki and her son,’ the insider said.
The outlet’s source added that the couple are ‘not living under the same roof’ as the incident left Nikki ‘scared and rattled.’
On August 29, the 42-year-old Dancing With the Stars professional was taken into custody for allegedly attacking Nikki at their Napa, California home.
Brie Garcia is supporting her twin sister Nikki , reportedly advising her to end things with Artem Chigvintsev following his recent arrest for domestic violence; Brie and Nikki in February
The 40-year-old former pro wrestler ‘encouraged’ her sister to end her two-year marriage just days before her estranged husband filed for joint custody of their four-year-old son, Matteo, amid their ongoing divorce , a source told ET on Saturday; seen in 2019
The report comes after Artem, who briefly removed and then re-added Nikki from his Instagram profile, has responded to her divorce filing by citing ‘irreconcilable differences.’
He listed August 29 as the separation date, which coincides with his arrest for felony domestic violence following an alleged altercation at their home.
In addition to seeking joint custody of their son Matteo, he is requesting spousal support and that Nikki cover his legal fees.
The move follows sources telling DailyMail.com that Chigvintsev is desperately trying to salvage the marriage.
Cops were called to the couple’s $1.5 million marital home in Yountville, California, following reports of a bust-up.
Sources said the couple dialed 911 twice – first to request assistance for an injury before calling back and asking paramedics not to come.
But due to the sounds of a domestic disturbance in the background, cops from the Napa Sheriff’s Department descended on the couple’s leafy neighborhood anyway, taking Russian-born Chigvintsev with them.
He was booked into the Napa County Jail on felony domestic violence charges at 10:59 am before being released on a $25,000 bond at approximately 2.18am.
A mugshot released by the Napa County Sheriff’s office showed the ballroom star looking glum-faced in a check shirt while sporting a grizzled beard.
The arrest, which reportedly came after Garcia threw shoes at her husband, took place less than four days after the pair celebrated the anniversary of their August 2022 wedding – with both marking the moment on social media.
Sources said Chigvintsev is currently scheduled to face court in Napa on Tuesday over the incident and cannot leave Napa County until the case is resolved.
And now Artem is said to be hellbent on proving to wife Nikki that he ‘can be a changed man.’
While she has allegedly banned Artem from seeing their four-year-old son Matteo without supervision and is searching for a divorce lawyer, sources have revealed to DailyMail.com that he is in the ‘fight of his life’ to win her back – especially now that he has been dropped from the upcoming season of DWTS.
‘Brie encouraged Nikki to leave the marriage. Any sort of violence does not fly, and they were very worried about Nikki and her son,’ the insider said
Artem and Nikki are still both following each other on the social media platform; seen in 2019
Insiders told DailyMail.com that Artem has to be supervised ‘if and when’ he wants to see his young son Matteo, four
‘Artem is very frustrated and mad that he wasn’t asked to be on this season of Dancing with the Stars, and now it looks like he will never be back,’ they said.
‘His life professionally and personally is and has been flipped upside down.’
‘He doesn’t know what his next steps are with Nikki, he has been upset for a long time and now he is in the fight of his life to clear his name and win back Nikki, but as of right now he hasn’t decided what he might do to show her that he can be a changed man.’
‘They currently have limited dialogue with each other.’
‘If and when he sees Matteo, Nikki wants it supervised. Her trust has been thrown out the door and she is very angry with Artem, he has an uphill battle ahead of him. The whole thing is a mess.’
‘She has tried and tried to make it work, but she feels divorce is the only option. It hurts but Nikki is such a strong woman, and she is doing what is right for her, and for Matteo.’
Although Artem is desperately trying to repair his marriage, a source previously dished that Nikki’s sister Brie wants her sister to leave him for good.
His arrest — which reportedly happened after Nikki threw shoes at him — came days after he and Nikki celebrated their second wedding anniversary; they are seen in 2017
Sources said Chigvintsev is currently scheduled to face court in Napa on Tuesday over the incident and cannot leave Napa County until the case is resolved
Last week, an insider close to former WWE star Brie said she is ‘disgusted’ by the news of Artem’s arrest, and wants her twin to have nothing to do with him.
‘Nikki’s sister Brie is disgusted, shocked, disappointed and just sad that this happened,’ they told DailyMail.com.
‘She loves Artem, and for this to be going down is so out of the realm of possibility of the person who she knows. Brie is very concerned about it all and is there for her sister at all costs.’
The added: ‘Brie, who is obviously the closest to Nikki, as anyone would, is telling her to leave Artem, if this is as bad as it seems, and if it happened before, once she finds out everything that happened, she will be the first to tell Nikki to leave him.’
Nikki and Artem’s two-year marriage was reportedly plagued by arguments, but his violent outburst has shocked the WWE star and her family.
‘One thing Nikki never showed was the verbal troubles that she had with Artem,’ the source continued. ‘They wouldn’t treat each other very nice and they never built on a friendship.’
‘Their sole focus has been on their son and not on each other. That caused arguments, but as far as everyone knows it never got physical.’
‘Family and friends are very surprised things got physical, but they’re not exactly surprised that they were having trouble, it just seemed like normal relationship issues to outsiders.’
Over the weekend, Nikki was seen boarding a JSX flight to Sin City at Oakland airport without her wedding ring. She was accompanied by her son and an assistant.
Nikki’s twin Brie (pictured) is said to want her sister to leave Artem for good
On Tuesday, TMZ claimed that Nikki began the hunt for an attorney the day after Artem had allegedly attacked her.
The publication alleged that she has been making calls since Friday and has the intention of ending her marriage.
Artem and Nikki initially crossed paths in 2017 when they were paired up on the 25th season of Dancing with the Stars.
Artem had previously been in high-profile relationships with other celebrities, including dancer Giselle Peacock, 43, between 2004 and 2005. He also dated DWTS judge Carrie Ann Inaba, 56, between 2006 and 2008.