Nikki Garcia addresses Artem Chigvintsev divorce in podcast return: 'I've been heartbroken'
Nikki Garcia is speaking out after a whirlwind few months that ended with her divorce from Artem Chigvintsev.
"I'm going to try my best not to get too emotional in this episode," Garcia said at the top of the Dec. 2 episode of "The Nikki & Brie Show," her podcast with her twin sister Brie Garcia.
Garcia went on to thank those around her -- including her family, friends and fans -- for "all the love and support, for the respect of privacy and space" they had shown her and her 4-year-old son Matteo, whom she shares with Chigvintsev.
Garcia went on to say that she had "disconnected from social media, from the world" the past few months, because "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," she said. "So it's been tough. It's been really tough. I've been heartbroken, sad."
The WWE Hall of Famer's podcast return comes just over three months after Chigvintsev was arrested following an alleged domestic violence incident on Aug. 29. Nearly a month later, the Napa County District Attorney's Office announced that Chigvintsev would not face criminal charges related to his arrest. In a statement at the time, a representative for Chigvintsev said he "has maintained his innocence from the beginning."
The "Dancing with the Stars" pro said in a statement at the time that he was "incredibly relieved and grateful" for the outcome and was "thankful that the truth has prevailed." He added that his "focus has always been and will always be" his son.
Garcia filed for divorce on Sept. 11. A representative for Garcia confirmed to ABC News in a statement on Nov. 20 that the couple had "settled their divorce and will not be going to court."
"Both parties decided to drop the domestic violence restraining orders against each other in an effort to move on with their lives and effectively coparent their son," the representative stated. "Nikki's number one priority has always been her son and privacy on the matter. She is thankful for all the love and support she has received during this difficult time."
In her podcast return Monday, Garcia spoke about the pain attached to the breakdown of her relationship. "You dream of having this family, and you have this incredible love, and it just goes the other way," she said. "And you go from having a great love story to having a terrible one … never saw any of it coming, you know, as far as what the ending would be."
Garcia said protecting Matteo during it all has been "the hardest part," adding, "I didn't know that your heart can break that many times in such a short period of time."
"All I need to do is focus on my healing," she said. "I need to focus on Matteo's healing."
Elsewhere in the podcast episode, Brie Garcia praised her sister and co-host for handling everything with "so much grace and class."
