Francine – 'Fans Often Struggle To Not See Wrestlers As Friends'

09/18/2024 12:31 PM

WWE/ECW alum Francine has weighed in on the parasocial relationship fans make with wrestlers in light of Nikki Garcia’s ongoing divorce.

The WWE Hall of Famer has filed for divorce from Artem Chigvintsev after the Dancing with the Stars performer was arrested and charged with domestic violence.

On a recent edition of her “Eyes Up Here” podcast, Francine spoke of fans making brief interactions with stars like Garcia into bigger things. She said,

"I'm sorry for these remarks; you don't know Nikki as a person. Do you know her? Are you friends with her? I mean, the fans think they know you because they watch you on television. They don't know you. My friend this. My friend that. No. I hate to say this, but you're not friends with these people.

“You know them because you watch them on a program, and maybe somebody tweeted at you and said, Thanks for the support and thanks for the… that doesn't make you best friends with someone. That doesn't make you friends. That makes you a fan of them. You are a supporter of these people. You are a fan. I sound like a b*tch right now, but people can't draw the line. They don't know reality from fantasy.”

Garcia married Chigvintsev in 2022 and the couple celebrated their second wedding anniversary mere days before Artem’s arrest.

Garcia is seeking full custody of their son Matteo with visitation rights for Chgvintsev. He is seeking joint custody and for Garcia to pay his legal fees.

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