Artem Chigvintsev has insisted his domestic violence arrest "completely ruined" his life.
The former 'Dancing With The Stars' professional - whose divorce with WWE star Nikki Garcia was settled late last year - was not charged after being arrested in August, but he insisted people still assume he is "guilty".
He told the 'Glamourous Grind' podcast: "It completely ruined everything for me. From every angle, it ruined my life completely.
"The worst part of all of this was because the [district attorney] dropped the case, clearly stating there was nothing they could possibly have charged me on.”
He added: "When people see that mugshot. For them, in their mind, you are immediately guilty.
"There is nothing you can say or try to justify yourself to change their minds.”
Artem - who has four-year-old son Matteo with ex Nikki - noted there was no hesitation on his part when it came to finalising the divorce.
He explained: "I wanted it to be over. I needed to go back to live my life and I need to move on — emotionally, financially — and I just wanted my life to be normal again.”
The former couple - who tied the knot in 2022 - are focused on raising Matteo, but Nikki has recently admitted it's “extremely difficult” not having her son in her house all the time.
Last month, she told Us Weekly magazine: "What’s crazy about co-parenting is you get a schedule. It’s wild that one day it’s like, 'OK, here are the days you get your son,' and that’s just what you do.
"For me, that part is incredibly tough. I had never been in our home without him.
"So getting through those days is extremely difficult because I just love being around my son so much."
he reality star - who is known as Nikki Bella during her WWE performances - settled her divorce from Artem in November, and her spokesperson said she was ready to "move on".
Her representative said at the time: “Nikki and Artem have settled their divorce and will not be going to court.
"Both parties decided to drop the domestic violence restraining orders against each other in an effort to move on with their lives and effectively coparent their son.”
