Cheryl Burke gives advice to Artem Chigvintsev and Nikki Garcia amid divorce… following his domestic violence arrest

Cheryl Burke shares her insights after Nikki Garcia filed for divorce from Artem Chigvintsev following his arrest for domestic violence last month.

“This is just a really unfortunate situation, and I hope everyone is OK,” the former Dancing with the Stars pro said. People on Friday, referring to Nikki, Artem and their four-year-old son Matteo.

She added: ‘I hope Nikki and Artem are protecting their hearts, and I hope, more importantly, that their son is OK.’

Cheryl sent her regards to Artem and Nikki and stressed the importance of taking time to heal, even if that means putting their careers on hold.

She then offered some advice to former WWE wrestler Garcia, based on her own experience going through a public divorce from actor Matthew Lawrence in 2022.

Cheryl sent her love to both Artem and Nikki (pictured 2019), stressing the importance of taking time to heal, even if it means putting their careers on hold.

“It’s not easy, but I believe that if you give yourself the time you need to grieve, we all grieve differently. There is no specific way that anyone should experience grief. It’s just important to choose yourself and protect yourself,” she explained.

‘Because I think in today’s society we’re mostly concerned with the needs of others or what we think others want from us, without really stopping to think about it and figuring it out. Even though that doesn’t necessarily mean we agree with today’s society.’

On August 29, Artem was arrested on domestic violence charges following an incident at the $1.5 million California home he shares with wife Nikki.

He was released on $25,000 bail a few hours later. Nikki has since left the state with their four-year-old son Matteo, according to exclusive photos obtained by DailyMail.com.

Following the arrest, Cheryl was the first of Artem’s former Dancing With The Stars co-stars to publicly address the situation.

During an episode of her podcast Sex, Lies and Spray Tans, professional dancer Burke said she was “completely shocked” by Artem’s arrest.

“I hesitate to laugh right now because of the current news,” said Burke, who has considered the Russian-born star a close friend for years.

“It’s just really hard for me because he was — he’s my family,” she continued. “I don’t know what to say here other than I hope everyone’s OK.”

Following the arrest, Cheryl was the first of Artem’s former Dancing With The Stars co-stars to publicly address the situation

“Brie encouraged Nikki to leave the marriage. Any form of violence is unacceptable and they were very concerned about Nikki and her son,” the insider said.

Burke’s connection to Chigvintsev predates their DWTS fame, with the star revealing that they literally “grew up” together.

“We used to live together in my family’s house in the Bay Area,” Burke said. “It’s so shocking. I’m emotional. My heart goes out to everyone involved,” Burke concluded.

Meanwhile, Artem’s DWTS colleague Maksim Chmerkovskiy has decided not to condemn Artem, saying the allegations don’t match the man he knows, but that he will hold Artem accountable if they are true.

The dance pro discussed his friend and former co-star on The TMZ Podcastand revealed that he texted Artem after hearing about the arrest.

Maksim said he had confidence that the Artem he knew would not harm women, but told him that if he did hit Nikki Bella, he would have to take responsibility.

Although he can imagine different scenarios, he prefers not to make a hasty judgement, as he was not there.

He also expressed his support for Nikki and wished her the best during their difficult separation.

As for Artem’s possible return to DWTS, Maksim said that if it’s based on his skills alone, he should return. However, he seemed less certain that the allegations against Artem will turn out to be true.

Insiders told DailyMail.com that Artem will have to be under supervision ‘if and when’ he wants to see his young son Matteo, four.

His arrest — which reportedly took place after Nikki threw shoes at him — came just days after he and Nikki celebrated their second wedding anniversary; they were spotted together in 2017

The podcast follows Artem briefly removing Nikki from his Instagram profile and then adding her back. He responded to her divorce filing by citing “irreconcilable differences.”

He listed August 29 as the date of separation, which coincides with his arrest for domestic violence following an alleged altercation in their home.

In addition to requesting joint custody of their son Matteo, he is requesting spousal support and wants Nikki to pay his legal costs.

The move follows sources telling DailyMail.com that Chigvintsev is desperately trying to save the marriage.