Accusations against Artem Chigvintsev resurface from one of his former partners in the UK Strictly Come Dancing.
Following his arrest on August 29 on suspicion of domestic violence, a 2015 interview with Fern Britton, a British television presenter, is gaining attention. In it, Britton accused Dancing with the stars pro pushing and kicking while they were partners in the 2012 hit series.
“We would be in detention, and he would look at my legs and just kick or push me,” she said in an interview with Huffington Post UK.
Artem Chigvintsev, Long-term Dancing with the stars Professional, arrested on charges of bodily injury to spouse
She also said he would say, “Just stand there and don’t move, I’m dancing around 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 said. “Or what was his second? ‘If you go for a cup of tea now, I’ll explode like an atomic bomb.’ I thought, ‘Well, I’m not going to correct him on that’.”
Artem Chigvintsev (left) and Fern Britton (right).
Rui Vieira/PA Images via Getty
At the time, Chigvintsev was in a relationship with actress Kara Tointon (a former co-star on the show), and Britton claimed he used his experience with her to humiliate Britton for not being “younger and able to dance”.
“Well, I think I’m young and when I’m drunk, I dance very well,” she recalled answering.
However, in that same interview, Britton insisted that she and the Russian-born dancer were also friends.
“We loved each other for a moment or two, but he wasn’t the epitome of charm,” she explained. “I enjoyed it, but it was dark at the same time.”
Artem Chigvintsev and Nikki Garcia celebrated their 2nd wedding anniversary a few days before his arrest
Chigvintsev, who later joined DWTS — American version Strictly Come Dancing, he said Daily Express 2015 that Britton’s allegations are not true.
“I believe I treated Fern with respect and genuine care, and these allegations against me go against everything I believe in and the person I am,” he said. “I can’t imagine what prompted such statements that shock me.”
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Artem Chigvintsev.
Maarten de Boer/ABC/Getty
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On the morning of Thursday, August 29, Chigvintsev was arrested on charges of felony assault of a spouse in Napa Valley, California. He was posted on $25,000 bail and released later that day.
Garcia’s rep tells PEOPLE, “This is a private matter and Nikki is asking for privacy for her and her family at this time.”
His arrest came two days after he and wife Nikki Garcia (formerly Nikki Bella) celebrated their two-year wedding anniversary. On August 27, she released a video montage of moments during their relationship with lyrics from Elvis Presley’s hit “Can’t Help Falling in Love” in the title.
“This song is our love story. I will never forget where I was when I asked Jesus about Artem. A conversation with him and God”, she also wrote. “How premature my feelings were. Everything seemed too fast. And then this song was created. And then I knew that I was falling in love with him and that it was meant to be. 🙏🏼✨.”
Chigvintsev also posted, writing: “Happy anniversary my love, I can’t see my life without you. You are my everything ❤️”
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education