>She says since Artem was cut from "Dancing with the Stars," he grew "increasingly angry, snapping at me, and yelling." She said they had discussions about his need to control his anger, adding on the morning of the incident, Artem went off on Nikki over how their 4-year-old son's English muffin should be toasted, screaming that she made their son a "picky eater.".
>Nikki says she was so overwhelmed by Artem yelling at her, she threw Matteo's toddler-sized 7 shoes toward Artem. She says the shoes hit his leg, but were so light they couldn't have hurt him. She says Artem grabbed Matteo and ran with him upstairs, as the boy screamed, "Mommy! Mommy!"
>She says as she tried to get in the room, Artem opened the door and tackled her to the ground outside Matteo's room. She says he grabbed her arms and held her on the ground for what felt like 30 seconds. She says Artem then went back into Matteo's room and closed the door -- and she says she again tried to push open the door, and he then opened it and pushed her across the hall into the couple's bedroom, forcing her to the floor in their bathroom. She says he had his hands on her chest near her sternum, pressing down -- she says she felt like she was suffocating -- and she says she grabbed at his neck in an attempt to get him off.
>The police came and Matteo told them, "Daddy hurt my hand."
>She also alleges Artem was physically violent on one prior occasion. She says in mid-2023, he "violently grabbed me around my waist" to keep her away from Matteo. She also claims there were numerous instances of verbal abuse. She says she doesn't want her son to grow up in a tumultuous environment as she did. Nikki wants Artem to get the help he needs with therapy and anger management -- and for her and Matteo to have enough space away from him until he has bettered himself.
