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Wait… Is Artem Chigvintsev Coming Back to ‘Dancing With the Stars’? Here’s What We Know
There’s going to be another pro in the mix! Though all of the Dancing With the Stars professionals for season 29 have been announced, it seems one veteran might be rejoining the cast: Artem Chigvintsev.
On August 21, the Good Morning America Twitter account hinted at a surprise announcement coming Monday, August 24, where a new pro will be announced for the upcoming season. They gave viewers two revealing clues. “He just had a baby with the love of his life, and she knows how to kick some ass,” the announcer boasted.
As any fan would attest, it seems clear the tease was describing the 38-year-old Russian dancer. Artem and his fiancée, WWE alum Nikki Bella, welcomed their first child together on July 31.
The Total Bellas regular appeared on DWTS from 2014 to 2018, doing 8 seasons as a pro with the ABC series. When he wasn’t asked to return for season 28 in 2019, fans were devastated — and so was Artem.
“Obviously, it was a massive shock,” he explained on “The Bellas Podcast” hosted by Nikki and twin sister Brie Bella in August 2019. “It’s not even a job, it’s a lifestyle if you’ve been doing it for a very long time. There was never a thought in my mind that I’m not going to be doing it. There’s always a chance, as a pro, you might be doing some performances on the show and there’s still an involvement in some sort. But getting this call, [hearing] ‘There’s gonna be no involvement in the show from now on,’ it’s like going through a breakup after 10 years.”
Not only did the show bring him creative fulfillment, but it also introduced him to his soulmate. Artem and Nikki met during season 25 of the dancing reality series in 2017. The pair didn’t start dating until March 2019, eight months after she and John Cena broke off their engagement and split for good. Nikki and Artem got engaged in November 2019 while on a trip to France, but didn’t reveal the happy news until the beginning of January.
Nikki announced she and her hubby-to-be were expecting their first child at the end of January and welcomed their son on July 31. If Artem does, in fact, return to the show that made him a household name, it’s safe to say their little boy will have fun tuning in with mama!
