Cheryl Burke, a long-time DWTS professional dancer, commented on the recent arrest of fellow dancer Artem Chigvintsev, who was arrested for suspected domestic violence on August 29. Kristen Burtt, an entertainment reporter, was also involved in the discussion. Artem, who married WWE star Nikki Garcia in 2019 after meeting on DWTS season 25, is facing serious allegations.
Cheryl Burke, who runs her own podcast, Sex, Lies, and Spray Tans, discussed the topic in the August 30 episode of her podcast. Cheryl and Kristen talked about the people involved in the arrest and how it made them feel.
"I don't know what to say here other than I hope everybody's okay," Cheryl said.
Kristen talked about how hard it was for people associated with the show saying:
"Even though it's not directly impacting season 33, because he was not going to be on the show this season, it still impacts everyone involved with the show who has known him for a long time."
What else did DWTS fame Cheryl say about her co-star's arrest?
Cheryl first revealed how close she was to Artem Chigvintsev saying she not only competed against him for 10 long seasons of the show but also knew him from before the show. She said that she grew up with Artem because they used to live together in her family's home in the Bay Area.
Chiming in on the event, Kristen Burtt said:
"We hope everyone is safe, and obviously more details will be coming forward, and we'll learn what happened in the situation, and we just have to really take a deep breath and realize that, you know."
Cheryl cut in and called the event shocking and said that her heart went out to everybody who was involved. She said it was especially hard for her because he is her family. Further in the podcast, she referred to Artem and Nikki's four-year-old son:
"Domestic violence is serious. I just hope his kid's okay. I hope everyone, his wife, and this is kind of shocking still for me."
Kristen Burtt chimed in again, saying the news was especially hard for everyone involved with DWTS because they were co-stars and long-time friends with Artem. Cheryl cut her and gave away her opinion on the case in an ambiguous way saying:
"Domestic violence and Artem don't really…That's why it's so shocking."
DWTS fame Artem Chigvintsev's arrest and recent post
Artem was arrested at 10 am, on August 30, in Napa County, California. According to Entertainment Weekly, Artem was booked on 273.5(a) of the California Penal Code. This states that anyone who "willfully inflicts corporal injury resulting in a traumatic condition" on a partner or a co-habitant is charged guilty. If convicted, he could face up to four years in prison and/or a fine of $6000. Artem's bail was set to $25,000 according to the reports at EW.
And even though Artem or Nikki haven't officially commented on the incident, a representative for Nikki, told People:
"This is a private matter, and Nikki asks for privacy for her and her family at this time".
Despite the allegations, Artem celebrated his marriage anniversary by making a post on Instagram on August 26. The post had a picture of them from their wedding day, and was captioned:
"Happy anniversary my love can’t see my life with out you. You are my everything."
His profile also includes several pictures of his nuclear family, his dance moments with his wife, and pictures of his son.
Artem, Nikki, and Cheryl can be followed on Instagram for more updates on their lives, at @theartemc, @nikkigarcia, and @cherylburke respectively.