Were Nikki Garcia & Artem Chigvintsev Still Together When 'The Traitors' Was Filmed? Inside Their Divorce Timeline
Nikki Garcia and Artem Chigvintsev might be ready to move on after finalizing their divorce but Gracia appearance on The Traitors will be taking us back in time to life before their marriage fell apart.
Garcia is appearing on season three of The Traitors on Peacock, her first reality TV appearance since her split from Chigvintsev. And while the competition series likely won’t surface a lot of information about her marriage, Garcia did film the show shortly before their tumultuous split made headlines.
When Was The Traitors Season 3 Filmed?
The Traitors season 3 was filmed in June 2024 in Scotland and reportedly wrapped filming in the middle of the month with cast members returning to social media after a brief hiatus during their time working on the show.
Garcia and Chigvintsev were still together while she was filming The Traitors. A month after filming wrapped, Garcia posted a heartfelt message on Instagram celebrating her two-year wedding anniversary with the Dancing With The Stars pro dancer.
“”I’ll never forget where I was when I asked Jesus about Artem,” she wrote in a now-deleted post. “Having a conversation with He & God. How my feelings felt too soon. It all felt too fast. And then this song came on. And that’s when I knew that I was falling in love with him and that it was all meant to be.”
Chigvintsev also posted for their anniversary, writing: “Happy anniversary my love, can’t see my life with out you. You are my everything.”
When Did Nikki Garcia and Artem Chigvintsev Break Up?
Garcia filed for divorce from Chigvintsev on September 11, 2024, two weeks after Chigvintsev was arrested on a charge of corporal injury to a spouse.
The couple started dating in late 2018 after meeting when they were paired up as dance partners on Dancing With The Stars in September 2017. They welcomed a son, Matteo, in July 2020. They got married in August 2022.
For a full timeline of their Nikki Garcia and Artem Chigvintsev’s breakup and divorce, keep reading.
August 29, 2024: Chigvintsev Is Arrested in California
Chigvintsev was arrested at the couple’s home in Napa Valley, Calif. on a charge of corporal injury to a spouse. He was booked in the Napa County Jail and his bail was set to $25,000 before he was released in less than an hour.
While Garcia was not named in the legal documents, a 911 call shared by TMZ includes her name. Chigvintsev was heard on the call claiming that Garcia threw shoes at him during an argument.
September 2, 2024: Garcia Steps Out Without Her Wedding Ring
Amid reports about Chigvintsev’s arrest, Garcia hosted the Netflix live competitive eating special Unfinished Beef without her wedding ring.
September 11, 2024: Garcia Files For Divorce From Chigvintsev
Garcia files for divorce in Napa Valley with her rep confirming the filing in a statement to People, saying, “Nikki Garcia has filed for divorce. She continues to ask for privacy for her and her family at this time.”
At that time, former WWE star was also taking a hiatus from her podcast, The Nikki & Brie Show.
October 4, 2024: Garcia and Chigvintsev Are Granted Restraining Orders
The exes were both granted restraining orders after each claimed the other was the aggressor in the incident the lead to Chigvintsev’s arrest.
In her filing, per People, Garcia claimed that Chigvintsev had grown “increasingly angry” after getting cut from Dancing with the Stars. Both filings state that an argument erupted over their son’s meals with Chigvintsev claimed that Garcia “completely lost it,” and was screaming “‘get the f— out of my house'” while “forcefully throwing both of Matteo’s sneakers at me.”
Garcia admitted to throwing the sneakers but alleged they “could not have hurt him.” Both agreed that Chigvintsev took their son to his bedroom while Garcia followed before things escalated further.
“I cannot stress enough how many times I pleaded with her to stop and calm down,” Chigvintsev alleged. “There was a mutual struggle, and both ended up on the ground. At that moment, I knew that nothing I would say would get to her [and] make her calm down. I was hurt and scared of her continuing on. I needed help for her to stop.”
Garcia, however, alleged that Chigvintsev “grabbed my arms and held me on the ground for what felt like 20 to 30 seconds.” She claimed he pushed her across the hall into their bedroom before forcing her to the floor of their bathroom. Garcia alleged that he “had his hands on my chest near my sternum and was pressing down,” until she “felt like she was suffocating” before he “snapped out of it” and called 911.
November 21, 2024: Garcia and Chigvintsev Finalize Their Divorce and Drop Restraining Orders
Three months after filing, Garcia and Chigvintsev privately settled their divorce and dropped their respective restraining orders.
“Nikki and Artem have settled their divorce and will not be going to court. Both parties decided to drop the domestic violence restraining orders against each other in an effort to move on with their lives and effectively co-parent their son,” Garcia’s rep said in a statement, per USA Today. “Nikki’s number one priority has always been her son and privacy on the matter. She is thankful for all of the love and support she has received during this difficult time.”
December 2, 2024: Garcia Breaks Her Silence on Her Divorce
During an episode of The Nikki & Brie Show, Garcia addressed her divorce from Chigvintsev for the first time saying she’s “heartbroken.”
“You dream of having this family and you have this incredible love, and it just goes the other way. You go from having a great love story to having a terrible one,” she said.
“It’s been a struggle,” she added. “I know being a public figure, I have to say a little bit about this, right? After this, I don’t want to ever talk about [it] again, because I truly do want privacy for Matteo. That has been the most important part.”
“We both are very focused on Matteo, and that’s the great thing. I pray every day [that] we’ll be great friends,” she said. “I don’t think that’ll happen anytime soon, but I pray for it because that’s what Matteo deserves.”
Before you go, click here for all the celebrity splits and divorces we never saw coming.