Prior to marrying Nikki Garcia in August 2022, Artem Chigvintsev — who shares son Matteo with the former WWE personality — dated others in the spotlight before settling down.
The Russian-born dancer was part of Burn the Floor and Strictly Come Dancing before joining Dancing With the Stars for season 18 in 2014. Most of his past relationships have been with fellow dancers, including one who is closely tied to his career, Carrie Ann Inaba.
Inaba dated Chigvintsev for two and a half years between 2006 and 2009, and she is currently a judge on the ABC competition series. She previously told Us Weekly she thought it was “hysterical” that fans thought she treated Chigvintsev differently during his stint on DWTS because of their romantic history. (Chigvintsev has appeared on DWTS on and off from 2014 to 2023. He was not cast to return for season 33 in 2024.)
“I love Artem, I respect him, I love him and Nikki together. I love that they just had their little baby Matteo. There’s nothing but love and I thought it was hysterical,” Inaba said. “So none of it bothers me. I know that people are passionate about Dancing With the Stars. They’re passionate about who they’re voting for. I love that.”
Scroll through the gallery below to see who else Chigvintsev has dated — and who he married — through the years:
Giselle Peacock
In 2003, Chigvintsev met professional dancer Giselle Peacock at the Blackpool Dance Festival. Shortly after, he flew to the United States to attend a wedding with her and never returned to Russia. The pair competed together for nearly two years and won five Amateur Latin competitions between 2003 and 2005. They married in 2004 but split the following year.
Carrie Ann Inaba
Before they joined Dancing With the Stars, Inaba and Chigvintsev met on the set of So You Think You Can Dance in 2006. The duo dated for nearly three years before splitting in 2009.
Kara Tointon
In September 2010, Chigvintsev went on season 8 of Strictly Come Dancing and was partnered with actress Kara Tointon. The couple went on to win the season and began a relationship. She confirmed the pair had split in 2014.
Torrey DeVitto
In 2016, the pro dancer began dating One Tree Hill alum Torrey DeVitto. Although nothing dramatic happened between the pair, Us confirmed in May 2017 that she called it quits after having to move east after landing a role on Chicago Med.
Mischa Barton
During season 22 of DWTS, which aired in 2016, Chigvintsev was paired up with actress Mischa Barton. The pair had quite a rocky partnership but reportedly went on a few dates after the O.C. alum was eliminated. However, his rep denied their relationship was romantic.
Nikki Garcia
Chigvintsev met Garcia in 2017 when she was cast as his partner on season 25 of Dancing With the Stars. At the time, the former wrestler was engaged to John Cena. After her split from Cena the following year, she reconnected with Chigvintsev.
The former partners got engaged in January 2020 and welcomed their first son, Matteo, seven months later in July. The duo announced in August 2022 that they tied the knot in Paris after more than three years together.
In August 2024, Us Weekly confirmed Chigvintsev was arrested on a felony domestic violence charge in Napa County, California. Napa Valley Sheriff PIO Henry Wofford told Us at the time that Chigvintsev was “arrested without incident” and they would not be releasing any details about the victim. It has not been confirmed if Garcia or Matteo were involved in the incident. Us confirmed in September 2024 that Garcia filed for divorce after two years of marriage.
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