Courtesy of Nikki Bella/Instagram
Nikki Bella Reveals What Would Happen With Custody of Baby Matteo If She and Artem Chigvintsev Split
Heavy stuff. Nikki Bella answers a tough question — whether she or fiancé Artem Chigvintsev would get custody of their newborn son Matteo if they split — on season 6 of Total Bellas.
In a sneak peek clip for the season obtained by Us Weekly ahead of the November 12 premiere, one of Nikki’s family members asked, “If Nicole is too much to handle, what happens?” The 36-year-old responded, “Matteo would come with me because I’m the mother.”
The shocking snippet from the upcoming season of Nikki’s show with twin sister Brie Bella seemingly hinted at the former wrestler’s struggles to connect with her fiancé, 38, amid her postpartum depression following the birth of their son on July 31. With the Russian dancer’s grueling Dancing With the Stars schedule, the reality star felt “invisible” while taking care of their baby.
“Artem would come home, he’d be distracted — and it’s not even his fault, men don’t know — but they come home and it’s like, ‘How’s the baby? How’s Matteo? I miss him, let me hold him let me kiss him,’” Nikki said on “The Bellas Podcast” on September 30. “As the woman, as the mom, you stand there and you’re like, ‘What about me? I want someone to come home and ask me how I’m doing and kiss me all over and swaddle me up and rock me.’”
However, she reassured fans the pair talked things through. Artem’s dance partner, Bachelorette alum Kaitlyn Bristowe, told Life & Style exclusively that Nikki and Artem “have a really good, supportive relationship” so it seems they can handle almost anything, the Bachelor Nation babe gushed in mid-October. “I feel like they’re such a good team.”
“Every time Artem comes into the studio, he’s always just so happy and in such a good mood, and I know it’s because of Nikki and their newborn,” the DWTS contestant, 35, raved. “She really lets him sleep when he can so that he can show up for the dancing.”
Kaitlyn also revealed her dance partner is “really hands-on when he’s home” with his sweet son and is completely smitten with his first child. “He just beams with joy and shows pictures of him whenever he’s on the show,” the reality star continued. “He’s so happy. It’s so cute.”
