Nikki Garcia makes surprising confession about Artem Chigvintsev

Nikki Garcia surprisingly has kind words to say for her ex Artem Chigvintsev despite their messy breakup.

In a conversation with her sister Brie on their The Nikki & Brie Show, the WWE star praised the Dancing With The Stars pro dancer when she touched on the topic of co-parenting their five-year-old son, Matteo.

"I have to give it to Artem, who’s been amazing in adapting to my schedule," she said on Thursday’s episode of her podcast, sharing that her former husband has been supportive of her decision to return to wrestling.

"And I get Matteo almost more, and he lets me. Like, he’s amazing," the mother one one continued. "We’ve adapted well and Matteo’s thriving."

Nikki’s rare remarks for Artem, 43, came a year after their breakup with her sister Brie also appreciating the situation, telling her sister, "You and Artem have been a great team."

For the unversed, the exes weren’t always on such friendly terms. The two started dating after being paired together on Dancing With the Stars in 2017.

They got married in August 2022 in Paris, two years after Matteo’s birth, only to part ways after their second wedding anniversary.

Their split came after Artem was arrested on felony domestic violence charges, which he vehemently denied, claiming that his then-wife had been the aggressor.

The charges were dropped in September 2024 and during the same month Nikki requested full legal and physical custody of their son.

The former couple was granted joint custody a month later, despite Nikki’s request that the celebrity pro dancer get only supervised visitation and take anger management classes.