Artem Chigvintsev may be a dad, but he’s the one who cried like a baby upon welcoming his baby boy into the world! In a Zoom interview on Aug. 24, the Dancing with the Stars pro revealed what it was like to be in the hospital room with his fiancée, Nikki Bella, when she gave birth to their first child on July 31. “Oh, I was sobbing, like, so bad when [the] baby arrived,” the 38-year-old ABC star confessed to Entertainment Tonight.
“Like, I don’t think people have seen a man sobbing like that. It was awful, but in the most joyful way,” Artem continued. Seeing his first child enter the world was unlike any experience he’s had before, because the professional dancer added, “I mean, I was picking that baby up and putting him on me. And the baby, like, halfway opened his eyes and it just made me feel like, ‘Oh, my God. This is the most incredible thing.’”
Artem finally understood what it felt like to be a parent. “This is like the miracle that people talk about, you know? So just that whole experience, I want to relive every single day. Honestly,” he told ET.
Artem hasn’t been the only person shedding tears in this relationship. Nikki revealed that she’s “never cried so many happy tears” in her life while giving fans a “two weeks postpartum” update on Instagram on Aug. 14. “Thank you all so much for understanding my maternity leave. I have taken in every single second with our baby boy. And will continue to do so. I have never cried so many happy tears in my life,” Nikki wrote in the post, which featured a photo of herself holding an Xbox game controller (the retired WWE star was playing EA SPORTS UFC with her twin, Brie Bella, who happened to also give birth to a boy just hours after her sister’s delivery).
Artem will sadly have to spend time away from his family, though, after he was recently asked to return to the 29th season of DWTS (he wasn’t asked back for Season 28, which came as a surprise to fans). However, Nikki’s rooting for her fiancé’s grand comeback!
“Nikki couldn’t be more excited for Artem to return to Dancing With the Stars. She knows that’s his passion and she’ll be cheering him on from home the whole time,” a source close to the Bella twins EXCLUSIVELY told HollywoodLife. Even though Artem will now have to dedicate much of his time to dance rehearsals as a pro-partner, our insider added, “Nikki would never think about holding Artem back from doing what he loves and she knows he’s the same way about her passions.” Only happy tears here!