Artem Chigvintsev from Dancing With The Stars has been forced to cut his time on tour short. Since its premiere in 2005, DWTS—the American version of the UK's Strictly Come Dancing—has been pairing celebrities with professional dancers to compete for the title of champion. With central judges Carrie Ann Inaba, Bruno Tonioli and Len Goodman (as well as longtime host Tom Bergeron until being shockingly replaced in 2019), the hired professionals teach and perform a specific style of dance with their mentee weekly, with routines being scored from 1 to 10.
Born in Russia, Artem moved to the United States in 2003 and started performing with ballroom dancer Giselle Peacock. Auditioning for the first season of So You Think You Can Dance, Artem was eliminated before returning as a guest choreographer the next year. Moving on to join Strictly Come Dancing in 2014, Artem first appeared on DWTS season 18 before being hired as a professional dancer for season 19. A popular and charismatic figure, Artem's professional run with WWE wrestler Nikki Bella in season 25 quickly turned romantic; the two have been together since 2019 and are engaged with a child, Matteo. As the winner of DWTS season 29 with Bachelor Nation favorite Kaitlyn Bristowe, fans have been anxious to catch the two on the Dancing With the Stars: Live! tour, which began on January 7 and runs until March 27, with the next scheduled show taking place on January 21 in New Jersey.
Despite the tour starting only two weeks ago, 39-year-old Artem has been forced to bow out at the last minute due to an unexpected health problem. Speaking exclusively to People, a representative for the DWTS tour explained, "The DWTS: Live! Tour is continuing as planned with our cast of amazing pros—we wish Artem a speedy recovery and look forward to having him back in the show in the very near future." Artem has chosen not to reveal his specific ailments, leaving fans saddened and puzzled at the sudden news. Other featured dancers who are still involved include Emma Slater, Britt Stewart, Sasha Farber, Daniella Karagach, Pasha Pashkov, Brandon Armstrong, Alan Bersten, Gleb Savchenko and more.
"My time on tour so far has been wonderful--unfortunately I am having to step away from tour for a while, due to some unexpected health issues," Artem wrote to his Instagram followers as he addressed the situation directly. "My goal is to recover as quickly as possible so I can rejoin my cast and crew on this incredible tour. Thank you for your patience and understanding. See you soon, Artem." Copying the statement to his other social media profiles, Artem has been met with an outpouring of support from viewers and colleagues. BBC Studios commented, "Sending you our get well wishes and a speedy recovery!" while the official DWTS tour Instagram and Nikki Bella left heart emojis.
A central figure of Dancing With The Stars, fans will miss Artem while he recovers from his unspecified illness. Luckily, the talented dancer plans to return to the stage as soon as he is able to; with the world entering its third year dealing with COVID-19, health and safety are everyone's top priorities. As for the show itself, Dancing With The Stars season 31 is heavily anticipated. Not much has been said about the newest season, but predictions give a potential air date of fall 2022. Hopefully, Artem will be well enough to star once more.
Sources: People, Artem Chigvintsev/Instagram
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