Nikki Garcia has spoken out about her difficult divorce from Artem Chigvintsev for the first time.

After a three-month hiatus, the 41-year-old retired WWE star returned to her podcast, The Nikki & Brie Show, on Monday (December 2) following her ex-husband’s arrest in August for corporal injury to a spouse. Their divorce was finalized through private mediation on November 21.

Throughout the episode, Garcia reflected on her relationship with the 42-year-old Dancing with the Stars pro. The former couple were married in 2022 and share four-year-old son Matteo, though she revealed that her marriage had been on the rocks for a while.

“When it came to our relationship, it’s sad. Like, it just hasn’t been great for a long time,” she admitted.

Garcia confessed to publicly playing up their romance in the public eye, hoping that “if this person hears it enough, what I believe in them, they can believe that in themselves.”

She explained her decision to stay was largely motivated by her desire to create a stable family for their son, saying: “I didn’t want to have another failed public relationship. And more than any of that… I wanted it for Matteo. You fight for your kids.”

However, she acknowledged that they “should have probably walked away a long time ago” so that “what happened wouldn’t have happened.”

Garcia went on to say that she’s “heartbroken” to watch her dream of having perfect family fall apart, adding: “You dream of having this family and this incredible love, and it just goes the other way. You go from having a great love story to having a terrible one. And I never saw any of it coming.”

Still, her son Matteo has remained her top priority. “I tried to handle this whole situation even though I was in so much pain. I was just trying to do what was best for everyone,” she said.

Throughout her separation from Chigvintsev, Garcia said she disconnected from social media and the world to focus on healing and protecting Matteo.

“First things first, I’m a mom, and my son’s protection and privacy is the most important. 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.

The Total Bellas alum also addressed the public scrutiny surrounding their split, calling out the misinformation spread about her.

“People don’t know what I’ve gone through to what I am going through. When they get fed lies, you’re gonna have people believe things. All I need to do is focus on my healing. I need to focus on Matteo’s healing,” she said.

In August, Chigvintsev was arrested in Napa, California, on accusations of corporal injury to a spouse, which refers to any physical injury that causes a traumatic condition. He was arrested just before 10 a.m. on August 29 and was booked into the Napa County Jail less than an hour later and given a $25,000 bail.

The Napa District Attorney ultimately declined to pursue criminal charges against Chigvintsev. After the charges were dropped, Chigvintsev released a statement expressing his relief.

“I am incredibly relieved and grateful that the domestic violence charges against me have been dropped… I’m thankful that the truth has prevailed,” he said.

According to People, Garcia initially filed for divorce from Chigvintsev on September 11, shortly after his arrest. In her divorce petition, Garcia requested sole legal and physical custody of Matteo, with supervised visitation rights granted to Chigvintsev. She also asked the court to terminate spousal support for both parties.

Meanwhile, the Russian-born dancer filed a response seeking joint custody of their son, spousal support from Garcia, and coverage for his attorney’s fees. Their protective orders were dropped as part of their divorce settlement, allowing both to focus on co-parenting Matteo moving forward.

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