[Source: ENews]

Nikki Garcia is speaking out about her split from Artem Chigvintsev nearly two weeks after the two finalized their divorce and dropped their dual restraining orders: “I’ve been heartbroken.”

Nikki Garcia is opening up for the first time about her split from Artem Chigvintsev.

Nearly two weeks after the former couple finalized their divorce and agreed to move past their dual restraining orders amid their settlement, the Total Bellas star is reflecting on their difficult breakup.

Nikki’s insight into her journey comes three months after the Dancing With the Stars pro—who shares 4-year-old son Matteo with the WWE star—was arrested on a suspicion of felony domestic violence charge, with which he was not charged.

“I’m going to try my best not to get too emotional in this episode,” Nikki told her sister Brie Garcia during the Dec. 2 episode of the Nikki & Brie podcast.

“But I first want to just thank everyone, the listeners, you, family, friends, coworkers, people I haven’t talked to in a long time, just for all the love and support, for the respect of privacy and space.”

As she noted, “The past few months, I disconnected from social media, from the world. And I just knew that I needed to disconnect, because first things first, I’m a mom and my son’s protection and privacy is the most important. So I was going to do whatever it took for that, most importantly, and then just needing space, for healing, for facing trauma, head on, all of that. So it’s been tough. It’s been really tough. I’ve been heartbroken, sad.”

The 41-year-old went on to note how she was dealing with the aftermath of her split, sharing that she could’ve never predicted the outcome.

“You dream of having this family, and you have this incredible love,” she continued, “and it just goes the other way. And you go from having a great love story to having a terrible one, and—never saw any of it coming. You know, as far as what the ending would be. So it’s just been a struggle.”

Artem was arrested on Aug. 29 following an incident at his and Nikki’s home. According to a September press release, local prosecutors decided not to press charges after evaluating the evidence.

Shortly after the decision, the ballroom pro told E! that he was “incredibly relieved and grateful” to close that chapter.

That month, Nikki filed for divorce from Artem, 42, after two years of marriage and listed his arrest as their official date of separation in court documents obtained by TMZ.

As Nikki shared, though she’s decided to speak out about this chapter, she wants to continue to protect her son’s privacy.

“I’ve been so shocked, like beyond words, and it’s been heartbreaking,” she explained.

“You lose your appetite, you cry a lot. And then I also stepped up and made sure everything was okay for Matteo. And so it’s just been—I don’t even know what other words to use.”

But now, Nikki is focused on her road ahead.

“The one thing that I have realized disconnecting from the world, it’s when you know the truth, nothing else matters,” she added.

“So when some of you would come to me and tell me what people were saying or what was out there, it would affect me in some way, but because I know the truth, and I actually lived it, it didn’t have a big effect on me.”

As she noted, “All I need to do is focus on my healing. I need to focus on Matteo’s healing.”

For his part, Artem has disputed Nikki’s account of their confrontation, alleging in his filed response that she was the aggressor during their confrontation in August.

The following month, Artem spoke out, noting that the former couple’s son Matteo remained his main focus.

“He is my world, and being his father is the greatest blessing in my life,” he said in a Sept. 25 statement.

“All along, my main concern has been for him.”

He added, “I am committed to continuing to provide him with the love, support, and care he needs as we move forward. I am hopeful that securing an equal custody arrangement will help us move on.”