Cheryl Burke is providing Nikki Garcia some recommendation following Artem Chigvintsev‘s arrest final month.
The previous DWTS professional was arrested on a felony charge of corporal injury to spouse in Napa Valley on Aug. 29, PEOPLE confirmed on the time. And whereas it was by no means formally said, Garcia was presumed to be the partner concerned.
Now, Burke, 40, tells PEOPLE that she was initially caught off guard when giving her response to the incident on her podcast, Sex, Lies and Spray Tans, as a result of the information broke as she was recording.
“Doing [the segment] Headlines and Sizzling Subjects about my associates is difficult, I am not even going to disclaim it,” she admits. “It’s my job and I’ll do it, however I do not essentially really feel snug doing it as a result of I do know that feeling if you’re being talked about, and it is not enjoyable.”
Over the previous few weeks, Burke says she has had time to consider the state of affairs extra clearly. Whereas sharing that her “coronary heart goes out to” everybody concerned, the podcast host says there’s one one that she has on her thoughts most.
“That is only a actually unlucky state of affairs, and I simply hope everyone’s okay,” she says. “I hope that Nikki and Artem are defending their coronary heart, and I hope that, extra importantly, their son is okay.”
“I simply ship all of them a lot love,” she continues. “And I hope that they take the time that they should heal, even when meaning placing your profession on maintain for a bit bit.”
Following Garcia filing for divorce from Chigvintsev on Sept. 13, Burke can also be providing some phrases of knowledge to to the previous WWE wrestler as she additionally skilled a public divorce from actor Matthew Lawrence in 2022.
“It is not simple, however I consider should you simply give the time that it’s essential to grieve, all of us grieve in a different way, there is no a method that somebody ought to expertise grief, but in addition, it is simply essential to decide on you and to guard you,” she explains. “As a result of I believe particularly in society in the present day, we have a tendency simply to handle everybody else’s wants or what we expect folks need from us with out actually sitting with ourselves and simply figuring that out, even when it does not essentially imply you agree with society in the present day.”
As for being single, Burke says “I adore it now, however it took some time to get right here,” including that she and Lawrence didn’t have a toddler collectively, which makes issues extra difficult.
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On an Aug. 30 episode of her podcast, which was launched simply at some point after Chigvintsev’s arrest, Burke famous that she grew up with the skilled dancer and even called him “my family”.
“I hesitate to smile proper now due to the present information…which I’m in full shock about,” she mentioned. “We used to reside collectively in my household’s dwelling within the Bay Space. It is so stunning. I get form of emotional. My coronary heart goes out to everybody concerned.”
“It is simply actually onerous for me as a result of he was — he is my household,” she mentioned. “I do not know what to say right here aside from I hope everyone’s okay.”