Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images
Nikki Bella Reveals How She Explained Artem Chigvintsev Divorce to Their Son Matteo
Nikki Garcia (formerly known as Nikki Bella) revealed how she explained her and ex-husband Artem Chigvintsev’s divorce to their son, Matteo.
“I’ve used words like divorce, but it’s only been when he’s asked,” Nikki, 41, told Us Weekly about conversations she’s had with Matteo, 4, in an interview published on Tuesday, January 28.
Instead of trying to scare Matteo with their new label, Nikki explained that she and Artem, 42, were focused on making it clear how the divorce would impact him logistically.
“Everything’s kind of been about us just having our own homes,” she continued. “’You get to go see Mommy and you get to go see Daddy.’”
Nikki went on to explain that she and Artem are working together to make sure Matteo has the best childhood possible. “On Christmas, we made sure we were both there when we baked Santa’s cookies,” she shared. “Matteo went to bed and we both were there when he woke up. Because he’s our focus, we want to keep those moments.”
It seems that Nikki and Artem’s plan is working out well, and she insisted that “Matteo’s OK and not affected.” She added, “So that makes it easy. He’s happy to go to both homes.”
While Matteo is happy with their current family dynamic, Nikki admitted she was having a difficult time getting used to their arrangement as coparents.
“What’s crazy about coparenting is you get a schedule,” she said. “It’s wild that one day it’s like, ‘OK, here are the days you get your son,’ and that’s just what you do. For me, that part is incredibly tough. I had never been in our home without him. So getting through those days is extremely difficult because I just love being around my son so much.”
The pair split shortly after Artem was arrested on August 29, 2024, on a felony domestic violence charge in Napa, California. The case was dismissed one month later, and Nikki filed for divorce on September 11, 2024. The former couple settled their divorce via a private mediation on November 20, 2024.
After their divorce was finalized, Nikki became more candid about what their relationship was like behind closed doors.
“I wanted [him] to heal. I wanted [him] to get help … because that’s what my son deserves,” she said about the professional dancer during a December 2024 episode of her “Nikki and Brie Show” podcast.
After noting that the situation was “sad,” Nikki admitted their relationship hasn’t “been great for a long time” before they called it quits.
“I really played it up like things were a lot better than they were in the public eye. I felt like, ‘If I can just put this person on a pedestal … maybe they can believe that in themselves,’” she continued.
Nikki added that there was another reason she made their relationship look stronger than it was. “I didn’t want another failed public relationship,” she said, referring to her former romance with ex-fiancé John Cena. Nikki and John, 47, were together for six years before they called it quits in 2018.
Conversation
All comments are subject to our Community Guidelines. Life & Style does not endorse the opinions and views shared by our readers in our comment sections. Our comments section is a place where readers can engage in healthy, productive, lively, and respectful discussions. Offensive language, hate speech, personal attacks, and/or defamatory statements are not permitted. Advertising or spam is also prohibited.