Artem Chigvintsev and Nikki Garcia Marked 2-Year Wedding Anniversary Days Before His Arrest

Mar. 15, 2025

Artem Chigvintsev and Nikki Garcia at the 9th Annual Variety Charity Poker & Casino Night, Paramount Studios on July 24, 2019.Photo: MediaPunch/Shutterstock

Artem ChigvintsevandNikki Garcia(formerly Nikki Bella) celebrated their second wedding anniversary two days before theDancing with the Starspro wasarrested.

“Happy anniversary my love, can’t see my life with out you,” Chigvintsev, 42, wrote onInstagramalongside photos from their wedding day. “You are my everything ❤️”

The retired WWE star, 40, also looked back at the couple’s love story on their anniversary as she shared the lyrics toElvis Presley’s “Can’t Help Falling in Love.”

“This song is our love story,” she wrote alongside a video from their wedding day. “I’ll never forget where I was when I asked Jesus about Artem. Having a conversation with He & God. 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. 🙏🏼✨,” she continued.

She concluded, “Happy Anniversary@theartemcI love you! ❤️‍🔥”

Maarten de Boer/ABC/Getty

The anniversary post came two days before Chigvintsev was arrested on Thursday, Aug. 29, whichTMZwas the first to report.

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

Chigvintsev’s rep has not responded to PEOPLE’s request for comment.

TheTotal Bellasalum and Chigvintsev met in 2017 when theybecame partnersonDWTS.At the time, Garcia was still in a relationship with then-fiancéJohn Cenabut the pair split a year later.

The retired WWE wrestler laterreconnectedwith Chigvintsev that same year, and the two eventuallyconfirmedtheir romance in March 2019. They announced their engagement eight months later and in July 2020, they welcomed theirfirst childtogether, son Matteo.

Artem Chigvintsev (L) and Nikki Bella attend the PUBG Mobile’s #FIGHT4THEAMAZON Event at Avalon Hollywood on December 9, 2019 in Los Angeles, California.Rodin Eckenroth/Getty

Garcia revealed in November 2020 that the pair had beguncouples counselingfollowing the birth of their son.

“We hear a lot of stories of where there’s sacrifice in their own relationship because it’s about the kids,” she said on theTamron Hall Show. “Artem and I, from the beginning, want to know: How do we balance this for Matteo and for our relationship?”

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

One year later, Garcia shared an update on their relationship onThe Bellas Podcast, revealing that they had overcome their rough patch. She explainedthat it was hard when both she and her son wereapart from Chigvintsevfor a long time while she was a judge onAGT: Extreme.

“Teo goes everywhere with mama,” she said. “That’s where he’s comfortable, that’s where he does best. And, you know, it’s been hard on [Artem], and it’s been hard on me too not to have my man in my bed for over six, seven weeks.”

source: people.com