Nikki Bella gave a shout-out to her boyfriend Artem Chigvintsev‘s ex Carrie Ann Inaba!
The 35-year-old retired professional wrestler and the 37-year-old Dancing with the Stars pro guest co-hosted ET‘s show on Wednesday (September 25) in Los Angeles.
On DWTS‘ new voting format this season, featuring a judges’ save, Artem said, “When I did Strictly Come Dancing in the U.K. for four years, that’s how they do it. I feel like I’m a little bit biased on this one. Because I love the people to be involved … but I also feel that the judges are the experts, so having that option is good, too. We’ll see how it goes.”
Artem and Nikki met in 2017 when they competed on season 25 of Dancing with the Stars, placing seventh.
“I like it,” Nikki Bella added about the new voting switch-up. “I think we would have lasted longer if we had that option. I think Carrie Ann totally would have saved us. And not because you guys dated… but she really liked my technique!”
“Speaking of hot seat today, what?” Artem laughed as he turned red and covered his face with a paper. “C’mon!”
Artem and Carrie Ann Inaba dated from 2006 to 2009, after meeting on the set of So You Think You Can Dance.
“I feel like I’m better now,” Artem Chigvintsev also shared about not being a part of season 28 of DWTS. “The best way to describe [the feeling] is, having this relationship for 10 years that you’ve completely invested in, and all of a sudden, it’s just like it’s not there anymore. So, it’s tough, but I wish the best of luck to the show. They ask me back, maybe I’ll be back. Who knows!”
READ MORE: Nikki Bella & Artem Chigvintsev Share a Kiss During Day Out in Studio City!