As Artem Chigvintsev recovers from his pneumonia diagnosis, Nikki Bella shared more information about how the Dancing With the Stars pro is coping amid the health scare.
“He’s doing well. He still has pneumonia, it’s crazy! He gets rescanned on Monday, so fingers crossed his lungs are better,” Nikki, 38, who was joined by her twin sister, Brie Bella, explained to Entertainment Tonight on Saturday, February 12.
The professional wrestler, who shares son Matteo, 18 months, with Chigvintsev, 38, noted that she knew there was an issue after her fiancé’s previous battle with COVID-19.
“I could just tell there was something wrong, and something more [serious], so I was like, ‘He needs to see a doctor!'” Nikki shared. “I was the one who was like we need to get him to a doctor. So, it’s been scary for a while, and we’re just hoping it heals because it’s his lungs.'”
Brie, 38, for her part, added that the Russia native’s cough has concerned her for a while as they continue to wait for it to pass.
Chigvintsev originally announced his break from the Dancing With the Stars tour late last month.
“Hi DWTS family — My time on tour so far has been wonderful — unfortunately I am having to step away from tour for a while, due to some unexpected health issues,” the dancer wrote in a statement via Instagram on January 20. “My goal is to recover as quickly as possible so I can rejoin my cast and crew on this incredible tour.”
The choreographer’s future sister-in-law later shared an update on what caused Chigvintsev to take a step back, telling Us Weekly that same month, “He did have COVID.” She clarified that his health issues came from “something more than COVID.”
The Real Dirty Dancing star also shared how online support helped Chigvintsev at the time, saying, “He’s doing a lot better, which is so great. I know it’s really made him feel good seeing everyone just reaching out and thinking of him and sending their thoughts and prayers his way.”
Earlier this month, Chigvintsev took to social media to offer more details on his condition.
“Hi everyone, just wanted to give you a little update on my wellbeing. So, I had another x-ray done yesterday, and it came back still positive for pneumonia, so I just got another set of antibiotics,” he shared in an Instagram Story video. “Hopefully, this one will do the magic, will do the trick, to kick out the pneumonia out of my lungs. So that’s where I’m at. I hope everyone is staying safe and healthy.”