"He is my family"— Cheryl Burke says Artem Chigvintsev's arrest on alleged domestic violence charges came as a complete shock

In the latest episode of her podcast Sex, Lies, and Spray Tans, Cheryl Burke, the American dancer, model, and television host, spoke about the recent news of Artem Chigvintsev being arrested for domestic violence.

The 40-year-old dancer said that she is very close to Chigvintsev as she has grown up with him. The TV star further revealed that they had moved together to her family house in the San Francisco Bay Area. Cheryl Burke was quoted as saying on Thursday,

“I hesitate to smile right now because of the current news … which I am in complete shock about."

She further added,

"This is really hard for me cause he is my family."

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Cheryl Burke expresses shock over Artem Chigvintsev's arrest

Artem Chigvintsev, 42, a professional dancer who has been participating in the Dancing with the Stars show for close to a decade, was arrested in Yountville, California, on Thursday morning. He was accused of felony assault on a spouse or cohabitant – a very severe offense that entails inflicting some type of physical harm on a close one.

It is said that it is Artem himself who called 911 at about 8:30 am claiming there was a ‘medical emergency’.

Nevertheless, police came and, having noticed bruises on the man, whom the victim had alleged to have attacked, proceeded to the arrest of the latter. He was released a few hours later on $25,000 bail.

Cheryl Burke looked very disturbed by the news and tried to stress the gravity of the situation. “Domestic violence is serious,” she expressed. She put forth her concern, saying she "hopes" that both his 4-year-old son, Matteo, and his wife, Nikki Garcia—formerly known as Nikki Bella—are "OK."

“My heart goes out to everyone involved,” she said was very emotional while looking for the right words to say.

Cheryl Burke and Artem Chigvintsev have a background with each other. Both are professional dancers and were in the world of Dancing With the Stars in 2014. The two competed against each other on the show seven times and remained friends even after Cheryl Burke retired in 2022. She added in her statement,

Cheryl expressed her shock by saying,

“Domestic violence and Artem don’t really… that’s why it’s so shocking.”

The episode allegedly occurred at Nikki and Artem’s house in Napa Valley, California. According to TMZ, Artem had been in a “bad mood” recently because they told him he would not become a professional dancer in the new season of DWTS.

The arrest happened just two days after Artem and Nikki celebrated their second wedding anniversary. The couple, who met on the set of the Hollywood show Dancing With the Stars, tied the knot in 2022 and have a toddler.

Artem’s story of moving from the former Soviet Union to becoming a popular face in American television is a familiar one. He did the So You Think You Can Dance reality show then the U.K.’s Strictly Come Dancing and then DWTS Season 18 in 2014.

Currently, Artem Chigvintsev is out on bail, and his case regarding the felony of domestic violence or hitting a spouse or cohabitant is still open. The Napa County Sheriff’s Office remains a lead in the investigations regarding the said incident. Artem and all his representatives have not made any other comments concerning the case.