Artem Chigvintsev Was Previously Accused of Shoving and KickingStrictly Come DancingPartner

Mar. 15, 2025

Fern Britton (left) and Artem Chigvintsev (right).Photo:Tony Woolliscroft/WireImage

Tony Woolliscroft/WireImage

Allegations againstArtem Chigvintsevare resurfacing from one of former partners on U.K.’sStrictly Come Dancing.

“We would be in hold and he would look at my feet and just kick me or shove me,” she claimed in an interview withThe Huffington Post UK.

She also said he would say, “You just stand there and don’t move, I dance round you.”

At times, Britton admitted she was afraid of Chigvintsev, claiming he once told her to “shut your face. Go home before I kill you.”

“I would say, ‘Oh please just kill me, it would be easier,’” she alleged. “Or what was his other one? ‘If you go for a cup of tea now, I will blow off like an atomic bomb.’ I thought, ‘Well, I won’t correct him on that one.’”

Artem Chigvintsev (left) and Fern Britton (right).Rui Vieira/PA Images via Getty

Rui Vieira/PA Images via Getty

At that time, Chigvintsev was in a relationship with actress Kara Tointon (a former partner on the show), and Britton claimed he used his experience with her to demean Britton not being “younger and with dance ability.”

“Well I think I’m young and when I’m drunk I dance really well,” she recalled responding.

Still, in that same interview, Britton insisted she and the Russian-born dancer were also friends.

“We did love each other for a moment or two but he wasn’t charm personified,” she explained. “I did kind of enjoy it but it was grim at the same time.”

Chigvintsev, who later joinedDWTS— the U.S. version ofStrictly Come Dancing,told theDaily Expressin 2015 that Britton’s accusations were not true.

“I believe I treated Fern with respect and genuine care and these claims about me are the opposite of everything I believe in and the person I am,” he said. “I cannot imagine what has prompted such statements which come as a shock to me.”

Artem Chigvintsev.Maarten de Boer/ABC/Getty

Maarten de Boer/ABC/Getty

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On the morning of Thursday, Aug. 29, Chigvintsev was arrested on charges of felony corporal injury to spouse in Napa Valley, California. He was booked with a $25,000 bail and released later that day.

A rep for Garcia tells PEOPLE, “This is a private matter and Nikki asks for privacy for her and her family at this time.”

His arrest came two days after he and wifeNikki Garcia(formerly Nikki Bella) celebrated their two-year wedding anniversary. On Aug. 27, sheposteda video montage of moments throughout their relationship featuring the lyrics toElvis Presley’s hit “Can’t Help Falling in Love” in the caption.

“This song is our love story. I’ll never forget where I was when I asked Jesus about Artem. Having a conversation with He & God,” she also wrote. “How my feelings felt too soon. It all felt too fast. And then this song came on. And that’s when I knew that I was falling in love with him and that it was all meant to be. 🙏🏼✨.”

Chigvintsev alsoposted, writing: “Happy anniversary my love, can’t see my life with out you. You are my everything ❤️”

source: people.com