Dancing With the Stars judge Carrie Ann Inaba proved there’s no bad blood with ex Artem Chigvinstev.
“A little of life lately…✨,” Inaba, 58, wrote via Instagram on Saturday, July 25, sharing a handful of recent photos.
In one snap, Inaba was all smiles beside Chigvintsev, 44, as they twinned in black formalwear. Inaba and Chigvintsev traded their glam ensembles for casual looks as they posed with an unidentified pal after the world premiere of Tango Elite: The Show.
Inaba and the Russian dancer dated for nearly three years before going their separate ways in 2009. Chigvintsev joined DWTS as a pro dancer eight years later, prompting Inaba to reiterate that even as his ex she never offered him special treatment or unjust criticism.
“I think it’s hysterical. You know what I love though? This is what I love about the Bachelor fans and Bachelorette fans. They can create a story around it!” Inaba told Us and other reporters in November 2020 after facing backlash for her seemingly harsh critique for Chigvintsev and then-partner Kaitlyn Bristowe’s jive. “It’s weird because I totally understood what they were doing. They’re like, ‘There’s jealousy there and there’s this and that’ because that’s what the Bachelor and Bachelorette is all about, right? It’s about creating stories about everybody.”
Inaba further denied having any beef with Chigvintsev, who was married to now-ex Nikki Garcia at the time.
“Look, I love Artem, [and] I respect him,” she stated. “There’s nothing but love and I thought it was hysterical, so none of it bothers me. I know that people are passionate about Dancing With the Stars. They’re passionate about who they’re voting for. I love that. I will not stand for bullying of me or anyone.”
That same month, Chigvintsev also shut down speculation that Inaba had a “personal agenda” to tear him down.
“Oh my goodness! It was so long ago. It was, like, 2008, we’re in 2020. That’s 12 years ago!” Chigvintsev told Us in a separate interview, referring to his past with Inaba. “I don’t think my previous relationship has anything to do with it, I’ll be honest with you, because she’s been judging me for the past however many seasons I was on the show. … I don’t think it has anything to do with it. I think she just really was harsh in the sense that she saw so much more potential than what we’ve been delivering the past two weeks and she finally got things that she’s been wanting to see.”
Chigvintsev and Bristowe, 41, ultimately won their season. He left the show for good ahead of 2024’s season 33.
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