Nearly a decade before “Dancing With the Stars” professional dancer Artem Chigvintsev was arrested Thursday on suspicion of domestic battery in the Napa Valley town of Yountville, a popular British TV host described his rough treatment of her when they partnered together on the BBC show “Strictly Come Dancing.” Speaking at a 2015 event hosted by the Times U.K.
, Fern Britton described his abrasive language and said he kicked and shoved her when he was coaching her through a routine for the British dance competition show, . “He (Artem) would look at my feet and just kick me or shove me,” said Britton, who competed on the show in 2012 with the Russian dancer. He allegedly would tell her, “You just stand there and don’t move; I dance round you.
” Britton also said he told her, “Shut your face. Go home before I kill you.” Britton’s comments originally resurfaced last month in connection with a workplace bullying scandal involving male professional dancers on the BBC dance show, But her comments are sure to gain additional play following the news that Chigvintsev was arrested shortly before 10 a.
m. Thursday in Yountville, the Wine Country home of the French Laundry and other upscale restaurants, as TMZ reported. The identity of the alleged victim in Thursday’s domestic battery incident, and their relationship to Chigvintsev, has not been disclosed.
Chigvintsev and his wife, retired TV personality and retired WWE star Nikki Garcia, have a home in the Napa Va.