Nikki Garcia Breaks Silence On Divorce From Artem Chigvintsev

The retired WWE star returned to her podcast, “The Nikki & Brie Show,” on Monday, December 2, after a three-month hiatus. Her return follows the November 21 resolution of her divorce from Chigvintsev through private mediation. The divorce filing came after Chigvintsev’s August 28 arrest on suspicion of corporal injury to a spouse, which reportedly prompted Garcia to take legal action.

While Nikki Garcia and Artem Chigvintsev have acknowledged they are not on friendly terms, they have committed to working on their co-parenting relationship for the sake of their son.

Nikki opened the episode with a heartfelt introduction, admitting she would “try my best not to get too emotional” as she shared an update on the events of the past few months.

“I disconnected from social media, from the world, and I just knew that I needed to disconnect because first things first, I’m a mom and my son’s protection and privacy is the most important. So I was gonna do whatever it took for that most importantly, and then just needing space for healing, for facing trauma head on, all of that,” she said while referring to her 4-year-old son, Matteo, whom she shares with Chigvintsev.

“It’s been really tough. I’ve been heartbroken. Sad. You know, you dream of having this family and you have this incredible love and it just goes the other way,” she continued. “And you go from having a great love story to having a terrible one. And I never saw any of it coming, you know, as far as, like, what the ending would be.”

She emphasized that her son has been her top priority throughout the end of the relationship and the subsequent legal battle, stating, “I tried to handle this whole situation even though I was in so much pain. I was just trying to do what was best for everyone.”

“I do want to continue to protect Mateo in those ways because that’s what’s been the hardest part about all this,” she continued. “And that’s been so heartbreaking. I didn’t know that your heart can break that many times in such a short period of time.”

Speaking on her relationship with the “Dancing With the Stars” alum, Nikki admitted, “When it came to our relationship, it’s sad. Like, it just hasn’t been great for a long time. And I really played it up [that] things were a lot better than what they were in the public eye, which I have regrets in that because what I felt was, like, if I can just put this person on a pedestal and maybe if this person hears it enough, what I believe in them, they can believe that in themselves.”

“I didn’t wanna have another failed public relationship,” she added, referring to her time with John Cena. “And more than any of that, take it away, like, I wanted it for Matteo. You know, it’s it always comes back to him. You fight for your kids. We should have probably walked away a long time ago. So in the end, what happened wouldn’t have happened.”

Nikki admitted that it’s been a “struggle” dealing with the messy divorce, especially in the public eye because people are being “fed lies” about her.

“But because I know the truth and I actually lived it, it had it didn’t have a big effect on me because people weren’t there that day,” the WWE alum said. “People don’t know what I’ve gone through to what I am going through, and you’re always going to have people just assume things and say things, and then, you know, when they get fed lies, you’re gonna have people also believe things. All I need to do is focus on my healing. I need to focus on Matteo’s healing.”

Nikki Garcia previously requested “privacy for her and her family” in a statement to PEOPLE following her divorce filing, and she has continued to emphasize the importance of privacy during this challenging time.

Artem Chigvintsev also released a statement to PEOPLE after it was confirmed that no criminal charges would be filed against him following his August arrest. He expressed feeling “incredibly relieved and grateful that the domestic violence charges against me have been dropped” and added, “I’m thankful that the truth has prevailed.” Both parties appear focused on moving forward while navigating their separate lives.