“Dancing With the Stars” season 29 champion Artem Chigvintsev became a father on July 31, 2020. He welcomed his son, Matteo Artemovich Chigvintsev, with his ex-wife, Nikki Bella.
After the very public fallout from the divorce, Artem has dramatically scaled back his social media presence. He recently broke his silence to share a sweet video of his five-year-old, revealing they spent quality time together.
Though the dancer leads a much more private life these days, he’s proud to share his undying love for his son.
Artem Chigvintsev Shares Quality Time With His Son Matteo
Artem Chigvintsev loves being a father. In a new social media update, the dancer revealed he and his five-year-old son had a wonderful time creating new memories.
“Late Father’s Day celebration with my boy,” the former “Dancing With the Stars” pro captioned an Instagram post. He attached a video of himself playing with his son outside. Artem picks the boy up and puts him on his shoulders as they laugh and enjoy quality time together. Later in the video, they roast marshmallows over a grill.
Overall, fans expressed joy that Artem Chigvintsev plays an active role in his son’s life. His marriage to Nikki Bella ended on poor terms, but Artem still loves his son more than anything in the world.
“Omg sooo big already🙌🙌🙌 Happy father’s day!!!” DWTS pro Pasha Pashkov wrote in the comments.
“This video is so wholesome and deeply soulful. There is something incredibly special about the bond between a father and son in those early years—every shared moment matters and helps shape a child’s future,” a fan added.
“It’s not about luxury or living the high life; it’s about getting back to the basics: being present, spending time together, and simply sharing life,” the fan continued. “A little boy needs his father as a role model, and Artem, from what I see, that’s exactly what you’re giving him. Those memories and values will stay with him for the rest of his life.🙏🏾🙏🏾🌸🫠❤️🌺🩷”
The DWTS Season 29 Champion Reflects on His Tumultuous Divorce
Artem Chigvintsev and WWE superstar Nikki Bella married in 2022 before their explosive divorce in 2024. During the fallout, Artem was arrested on domestic violence charges and later released. He later appeared on “The Penthouse with Peta” podcast to talk about his experience with his friends, Peta Murgatroyd and Sharna Burgess.
“Talk to me about this reinvention of you after major life changes,” Sharna asked on the show. “Because all of a sudden, your personal life is exploding, and that also led to you not being on ‘Dancing With the Stars.’ It was all in the same six months right?”
The Russian dancer corrected her and noted that the entire situation happened in the same week.
“I had to completely switch off ‘me,’” Artem admitted. “It was like a bad dream. All of it.”
It’s unknown whether Artem Chigvintsev will ever return to “Dancing With the Stars.” But nevertheless, he’s maintained friendships with many of his colleagues from the series.
“Dancing With the Stars” season 35 premieres on ABC this September.
