The retired WWE star, 41, returned to her podcast, 'The Nikki & Brie Show', on Monday, Dec. 2 after more than three months away following her ex-husband's Aug. 28 arrest on suspicion of corporal injury to spouse
- Nikki Garcia opens up about divorce
- Her focus is on son Matteo's well-being
- The public breakup brought many challenges
A time for reckoning
Nikki Garcia, the retired WWE star, has addressed her separation from Artem Chigvintsev for the first time since their split. Returning to her podcast, 'The Nikki & Brie Show', on December 2, Garcia candidly shared her experiences following Chigvintsev's arrest on August 28 and their subsequent divorce settlement on November 21.
She expressed her determination to protect her son, Matteo, and emphasized the need for personal healing. "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," she stated.
Garcia described the emotional turmoil she faced during this period, revealing how her dreams of a happy family life turned into a painful reality.
The former WWE star expressed her heartbreak, noting, "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. 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."
Despite the challenges, her primary focus remained on her son, as she navigated the complexities of their relationship and the legal proceedings. Even though, love was once there, it's all different now.
"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 continued. "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."
Public Scrutiny and Personal Healing
The public nature of her breakup added another layer of difficulty for Garcia, who lamented the spread of misinformation. She reflected on the struggle of dealing with public perception, saying, "But because I know the truth and I actually lived it, it didn't have a big effect on me because people weren't there that day."
Throughout this ordeal, Garcia prioritized her healing and that of her son, Matteo, striving to maintain a sense of normalcy and protection for him.
She said that her son has remained her priority amidst the end of the relationship and the legal battle that ensued, as she shared, "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, 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."
Nikki also admitted that it's been a "struggle" dealing with the split in the public eye as people were 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. 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."
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The divorce settlement, reached through private mediation, marked a turning point for both parties. Following Chigvintsev's arrest, no criminal charges were filed, and both he and Garcia were granted protective orders, which were eventually dropped. In a statement, Chigvintsev expressed his relief over the dropped charges, stating, "I'm thankful that the truth has prevailed.
