Nikki Bella and Artem Chigvintsev Attended Couples Therapy Due to His Tone

Nikki Bella admitted she and Artem Chigvintsev struggled with communicating ... saying back in 2021 she and her husband went to couples therapy because of how he spoke to her.

The former WWE star opened up about jumping on the therapist's couch with the pro dancer during an episode of Kaitlyn Bristowe's podcast "Off the Vine" back in 2021 ... after Bristowe revealed she didn't know if Artem liked her on "Dancing with the Stars."

Kaitlyn won 'DWTS' alongside Artem in 2020 -- but she says she didn't know how Artem felt about her because of the way he spoke to her ... and Nikki details a similar experience, saying she nearly quit because of his demeanor.

She explains when Artem gets stressed he doesn't always moderate his tone toward her ... adding the 2 were actually in therapy to rectify the issue and be great parents to their then 5-month-old son Matteo.

Cops arrested Artem Thursday for felony domestic violence after he called paramedics over injuries the alleged victim sustained -- and then called them off moments later.

He was arrested after cops arrived at the home and saw the alleged injuries, charging him with felony corporal injury to a spouse or cohabitant. He was released on $25K bail.

We know Artem's "Dancing with the Stars" contract was not renewed for this upcoming season ... and, this put him in a bad mood this week.

We reached out to Nikki's rep ... who tells us Bella's asking for privacy for herself and her family during this time.