Artem Chigvintsev Admits He’s ‘Already Missing’ Nikki Bella & Baby Matteo While Filming ‘DWTS’

‘DWTS’ pro Artem Chigvintsev has been separated from his fiancé Nikki Bella and their newborn son for just a few days, but he’s already feeling homesick.

Doting dad Artem Chigvintsev has recently headed into rehearsals for season 29 of Dancing with the Stars and he’s “already missing” fiancé Nikki Bella and their newborn son Matteo. He shared an update from his DWTS trailer on September 11, letting fans know how he’s feeling about the separation. “Finally got situated in my trailer for the next, hopefully, 11 weeks,” he began. “Welcome to my house. I need to swap those pictures behind me to Nicole and Matteo’s pictures, obviously, to feel like I’m actually home.”

He continued, “Today’s an exciting day. We’re shooting our opening number, plus we’re doing our first pictures with our celebrity partners. Excited to do that and finally maybe share with you, I guess on the 14th still, who we’re dancing with. It’s getting closer. I think there’s only two days of rehearsals left and then there’s showtime so get excited.”

Artem also posted an adorable pic of his love holding their tiny tot in their kitchen, captioning the snap, “Missing my loves already @thenikkibella.” Later that day, Nikki posted a screenshot of her texts with Artem, which included a photo of her holding two bottles of breast milk, accompanied by the message, “Look what mama just pumped!!!” Artem sweetly replied, “So proud.”

A source close to the pro dancer spoke to HollywoodLife exclusively about how the new dad was feeling about going back to work so soon after welcoming a young son. “He is going back to Dancing so he can provide for the family and be a father that supports his child,” the insider dished. The source also told HL that Artem wants to set a good example for Matteo, and prove he has a strong work ethic. “Being on the show and hopefully winning could make sure that Matteo will be all set for any college he wants to go to and help him lead to a wonderful childhood. He wants his son to know what it takes to be a hard worker and do what you love.”