Nikki's PRIVATE HELL

DANCING WITH THE STARS PRO ARTEM CHIGVINTSEV IS ARRESTED FOR DOMESTIC BATTERY THREE DAYS AFTER HIS WEDDING ANNIVERSARY WITH WRESTLER NIKKI GARCIA.

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SHE had a job to do. On Labor Day, Nikki Garcia, the former professional wrestler, took the stage alongside comedy star Rob Riggle to emcee the Netflix live competitive eating special Unfinished Beef — a hot dog eating contest featuring speedeating rivals Joey Chestnut and Takeru Kobayashi in Las Vegas. As Rob introduced her during the Sept. 2 event, the crowd went wild. “Thank you, everyone. I’m so happy to be here!” Nikki, wearing a red jumpsuit and a wide smile — but not her wedding ring — responded, telling fans, “I love you too.”

She needed the love. In a shocking turn, days earlier, her husband, Artem Chigvintsev, had been arrested on domestic violence charges. Around 8:30 a.m. on Aug. 29 — three days after the retired athlete, 40, and the pro dancer had celebrated their second wedding anniversary — Artem placed a 911 call from their Napa, Calif., home requesting medical assistance. Per a recording, “he got into an argument with his wife and his wife threw shoes at [him],” with the operator adding, “There is a 4-yearold child on scene.” Namely, the couple’s son, Matteo. After the 42-year-old canceled the request, paramedics stood down, but law enforcement officers still showed up at the residence — and took the Dancing With the Stars pro into custody for felony corporal injury to a spouse or cohabitant. “Friends are telling Nikki she married a monster,” a source tells Star. “And she wants out.” Says a rep, “This is a private matter, and Nikki asks for privacy for her and her family at this time.”

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