Artem Vladimirovich Chigvintsev (Russian: Артём Влади́мирович Чи́гвинцев; born 12 June 1982) is an American professional dancer, specializing in Latin dancing.
[2][3] Chigvintsev was a cast member of Burn the Floor where he performed both on Broadway and more recently in the West End in 2009.
He moved to the United States in 2003 and began dancing with champion ballroom dancer Giselle Peacock.
[5] Chigvintsev was eliminated alongside his fellow contestant Melissa Vella,[6] but returned as a guest choreographer for season two.
[5] In September 2010, Chigvintsev joined Strictly Come Dancing series 8 as a professional dancer, where he was partnered with actress Kara Tointon.
The pair went on to win the competition, defeating Matt Baker and his partner Aliona Vilani, and being crowned series champions for 2010.
Chigvintsev's celebrity partner in the 10th series of Strictly Come Dancing was television presenter Fern Britton.
His celebrity partner in the eleventh series of Strictly Come Dancing was former Coronation Street star Natalie Gumede, who played Kirsty Soames.
They reached the finals and became one of the runners-up, along with Susanna Reid and Kevin Clifton, losing to model Abbey Clancy.
2 Artem injured his back whilst practicing the rumba, therefore he wasn't able to dance with Valance and was replaced by Brendan Cole for that week.
Later that year, it was announced that Chigvintsev had been promoted to professional dancer for the show's 19th season, marking his exit from Strictly Come Dancing.
[14] Chigvintsev wrote on Instagram that he would not be competing on season 21 due to a last-minute casting change, but he would still dance with the pros in the ballroom.
[14] It was later revealed that former Bachelorette Kaitlyn Bristowe was meant to compete alongside him that season, but was prevented by Bachelor producer Mike Fleiss.
He choreographed a Viennese Waltz to "She's Always a Woman" by Billy Joel for Katie Love & Luke Jackson.
For the final, he choreographed a Tango to "I've Seen That Face Before (Libertango)" by Grace Jones for Katie Love & Luke Jackson.
In an episode, "Too Close for Carter," in January 2022 to teach Paris Hilton and her former fiancé now husband some dance moves for their wedding reception.
"[38][39] Bella also sought "legal and physical custody" of Matteo, but only requested that Chigvintsev be allowed child visitation.
[44] According to arrest records, the incident was subjected to penal code 273.5(a), which relates to domestic violence against either "a spouse, cohabitant or fellow parent.
[38][49] On September 24, 2024, Napa County District Attorney, Allison Haley, announced that her office has declined to file criminal charges against Artem Chigvintsev.
[50] Noting "[T]he decision to not file charges against Mr. Chigvintsev was made after a thorough review of the criminal investigation and careful evaluation of the evidence presented to the DA’s Office.
Nikki sought full custody of the child when she filed for divorce, requesting Artem have supervised visitation with their son and undergo anger management classes.
However, after a court hearing in Napa County, it was announced the parents will share joint custody of the Matteo, as Artem had previously requested when he submitted his divorce response in September.