Former Dancing With the Stars pro Cheryl Burke is speaking out about Artem Chigvintsev's recent arrest. Chigvintsev was arrested in Napa, California on Thursday for corporal injury to a spouse or cohabitant, with a radio dispatch call revealing he alleged that wife and former WWE star Nikki Garcia threw shoes at him. He had initially called paramedics but then changed his mind and asked them not to come.
Burke joined DWTS during Season 2 and was on the series through Season 31, with Chigvintsev joining in Season 19. During the newest episode of her podcast, Sex, Lies, and Spray Tans, Burke addressed the arrest, admitting to guest Kristyn Burtt that she's hesitating to smile because of the current news. She shared that she and Chigvintsev basically grew up together and used to live together in her family's home in the Bay Area.
"I get kind of emotional," Burke shared. "My heart goes out to everyone. It's just really hard for me because he was my family. He's my family, like, and I don't know what to say here other than I hope everybody's okay. We hope everyone is safe. But I just hope his kid's okay. I hope everyone, his wife, this is just kind of shocking."
Artem Chigvintsev and Nikki Garcia were paired together on Dancing With the Stars Season 25 in 2017 and came in seventh place. They got engaged in 2019 and welcomed their first child, Matteo Artemovich Chigvintsev, in 2020. The arrest charges comes just a few days after Chigvintsev and Garcia celebrated their second wedding anniversary on Aug. 26. Just from the looks of their Instagrams, nothing seemed out of the ordinary but a lot can change in a short amount of time. And not everything is as it seems.
Through her rep, Garcia had asked for privacy for her and her family, and was later spotted in public for the first time since the arrest without her wedding ring. Information surrounding the events leading up to Chigvintsev's arrest are still pretty scarce aside from a few details, but it is certainly a scary time for all involved. It does seem like there is plenty of support going around, no matter what happened, especially within the Dancing With the Stars family.
If you or someone you know is a victim of domestic violence, you can reach the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233. You can also chat with a representative at thehotline.org or by texting "START" to 88788.