Cheryl Burke is sharing her insights after Nikki Garcia filed for divorce from Artem Chigvintsev, which came in the wake of his domestic violence arrest last month.
‘This is just a really unfortunate situation, and I just hope everybody’s OK,’ the former Dancing with the Stars pro told People on Friday, referring to Nikki, Artem and their four-year-old son Matteo.
She added: ‘I hope that Nikki and Artem are protecting their heart, and I hope that, more importantly, their son is OK.’
Cheryl sent her love to both Artem and Nikki, emphasizing the importance of taking time to heal, even if it requires putting their careers on hold.
She then offered some advice to former WWE wrestler Garcia, drawing from her own experience of going through a public divorce from actor Matthew Lawrence in 2022.
‘It’s not easy, but I believe if you just give the time that you need to grieve, we all grieve differently, there’s no one way that someone should experience grief, but also, it’s just important to choose you and to protect you,’ she explained.
‘Because I think especially in society today, we tend just to take care of everyone else’s needs or what we think people want from us without really sitting with ourselves and just figuring that out, even if it doesn’t necessarily mean you agree with society today.’
On August 29, Artem was arrested on felony domestic violence charges following an incident at the $1.5 million California home he shares with his wife, Nikki.
He was released just hours later on $25,000 bail, while Nikki has since departed the state with their four-year-old son, Matteo, as shown in exclusive photos obtained by DailyMail.com.
In the aftermath of the arrest, Cheryl was the first among Artem’s former Dancing With The Stars colleagues to publicly address the situation.
During an episode of her Sex, Lies and Spray Tans podcast, pro dancer Burke said she’d been left ‘in complete shock’ over Artem’s arrest.
‘I hesitate to smile right now because of the current news,’ said Burke, who has considered the Russian-born star a good friend for years.
‘It’s just really hard for me because he was — he’s my family,’ she continued. ‘I don’t know what to say here other than I hope everybody’s okay.’
Burke’s connection to Chigvintsev predates their DWTS fame, with the star revealing that they’d literally ‘grown up’ together.
‘We used to live together in my family’s home in the Bay Area,’ Burke said. ‘It’s so shocking. I get kind of emotional. My heart goes out to everyone involved,’ Burke concluded.
Meanwhile, Artem’s DWTS co-star Maksim Chmerkovskiy has decided to hold off on condemning Artem, stating that the allegations don’t match the man he knows, but he will hold Artem accountable if they’re true.
The dance pro discussed his friend and former costar on The TMZ Podcast, revealing that he texted Artem after hearing about the arrest.
Maksim said he is confident that the Artem he knows wouldn’t harm a woman, but he told him that if he did hit Nikki Bella, he needs to take responsibility.
While he can imagine various scenarios, he prefers not to rush to judgment since he wasn’t there.
He also expressed support for Nikki, wishing her well during their difficult divorce.
Regarding Artem’s potential return to DWTS, Maksim stated that if it’s based solely on skill, he should return, but he seemed less certain if the allegations against Artem are proven true.
The podcast 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.
