Artem Chigvintsev felt like he’d been "punched in the stomach" after he was axed from ‘Dancing With the Stars’ just three days before the line up was announced.
The 37-year-old professional dancer – who has appeared on the programme for 10 years – is still gutted that he was dropped from the ballroom and latin show ahead of this year’s launch as he was "99 per cent" sure that he was bagged a spot because he had been having "positive" conversations with producers up until then.
Speaking on his girlfriend Nikki Bella’s podcast, ‘The Bellas’, he explained: "I don’t know where to begin, to be honest with you. Obviously, it was a massive shock. Having those calls is never, never, never fun.
"I dedicated 10 years of my life to that company. And getting let go three days before an announcement, that’s like a punch in the stomach, really.
"It’s not even a job, it’s a lifestyle if you’ve been doing it for a very, very long time. There was never really a thought in my mind that I [wasn’t] going to be doing it. … But getting this call and [hearing], ‘There’s going to be no involvement in the show from now on’ — it’s like going through a breakup after 10 years."
And he isn’t the only one shocked with ABC’s decision as his partner Nikki is furious that he has been on "hold" since March so that he couldn’t work elsewhere.
She fumed: "They’ve had these dancers on hold since March. And they don’t give them compensation for it. They’ve been all unemployed since March. That made me really upset, because how do you put people on hold and then cut them last minute? … Now all the fall gigs are booked, and that part to me was so unfair."
His axing has now made Artem doubt himself, but he’s trying to stay positive.
He said: "The one thing I’ve done all my life, and I study it and I dedicated pretty much all of my time for the past two decades, is dancing. Being on a show like ‘Dancing with the Stars’ for what I do, that is the top of the game.
"There is really no other job that gives you the satisfaction of choreographing, of teaching and getting the recognition in that spectrum. Did I get cut because they didn’t think I was good enough for the show?"
Artem Chigvintsev gutted he’s axed from DWTS
