Cheryl Burke Comments on Artem Chigvintsev’s Arrest

Cheryl Burke is speaking out about Artem Chigvintsev’s arrest, and she appears quite taken aback by the news. The former “Dancing with the Stars” professional opened up about Chigvintsev on her podcast, “Sex, Lies, and Spray Tans.” She revealed that she grew up in the dance world with Artem, and at one point, he even lived in her family home. The news of his arrest has evidently floored her.

Burke mentioned that it’s particularly hard for her to process because she considered Artem as family. A domestic violence arrest seems entirely out of character for the Artem she knows. She also took a moment to send her well-wishes to Artem’s wife, Nikki Garcia, and their son Matteo, expressing hope that everyone involved is safe and fine.

Cheryl first joined “Dancing with the Stars” during its sophomore season and participated in about two dozen seasons before retiring. She overlapped with Artem in several seasons on the show. Artem Chigvintsev was arrested on Thursday morning for corporal injury to a spouse or cohabitant. A radio dispatch call obtained by TMZ adds more layers to the story. The audio reveals allegations that Nikki threw shoes at Artem, and Artem himself called paramedics before changing his mind and telling them not to come.

The identity of the alleged victim is not definitively known, and Nikki Garcia’s representative has asked for privacy for her family during this time. This incident has certainly taken Artem’s loved ones by surprise, with more details likely to emerge in the coming days.