Ben Cohen and Kristina Rihanoff first found love on the Strictly dance floor – but their love story hasn’t always been a walk in the park.
The pair met way back in 2013 when Ben was a contestant on the glitzy BBC One show, and Kristina a dancer. The pair were coupled up on the show, and the duo hit it off off-screen, even though Ben was married at the time.
Fast-forward to now, and Ben and Kristina are still going strong, even sharing a daughter together.
So when did Ben Cohen and Kristina Rihanoff – who are on Pointless Celebrities tonight (April 20) – get engaged? And what did his ex-wife say about Kristina? Keep reading to find out…
Ben Cohen ‘doing the dirty’ on his wife with Kristina Rihanoff
Prior to Kristina, Ben was married to Abby, who shares two daughters with the rugby player. However, no sooner had Strictly 2013 ended and Ben revealed he and Abby, his wife of 11 years, had parted company. The pair confirmed their split in 2014 and divorced two years later
It was then revealed that Ben had moved on with his pro dancer partner Kristina. However, a year later and Abby hit out at Ben accusing him of cheating on her with the dancer.
He’s done the dirty on me. I want people to know.
In an interview with The Sun On Sunday, she said: “My husband, who I was with for 23 years, unconditionally loved and was completely loyal to in every respect, has left me for a [expletive] Russian dancer.
“The last two years have been the most traumatic thing to ever happen to me. He’s done the dirty on me. I want people to know.”
In 2020, Abby shared her new partner, Dave, and in 2021 admitted her regret for the comments she made about Kristina. She told New magazine: “At the time of the break-up, when hugely stressed, I once angrily referred to Ben’s partner as a ‘[expletive] Russian dancer’ to a journalist hassling me. I regret that now.”
Ben and Kristina ‘surprise’ engagement
In 2016 Ben and Kristina welcomed their first child into the world – a little girl called Milena. And in November 2022, the pair took to the next step in their relationship and got engaged.
In an interview with Hello!, they revealed that Ben had popped the question during a romantic getaway to the Maldives. During the interview, Kristina confessed that Ben asking her to marry him was the “biggest surprise” of her life.
“Although we’d talked before about getting married one day, I hadn’t the slightest idea that Ben was planning this. I was overcome with emotion and said: ‘Yes, yes, and yes’ straight away,” she said.
Shock cancer
In July last year, Ben’s ex-wife Abby revealed she had been diagnosed with cancer. At the time, she shared a video of her journey to Instagram.
It included footage and images of their daughters supporting her, and Abby undergoing treatment and wearing a stoma bag. She explained that she’d visited a doctor after some health concerns.
At first, Abby did not share what type of cancer she was battling with. But later that year, after undergoing, she revealed that she was successfully treated for bowel cancer.
Ben later signed up for The Real Full Monty, reportedly in tribute to Abby’s fight. A source said at the time: “Ben has been inspired by Abby’s fight and wants to do this for her and their kids.
“Everyone in their family has been touched by this dreadful disease, and he’s happy to bare all if it encourages even just one person to get their symptoms checked.”
Ben and Kristina are on Pointless Celebrities tonight (April 20) at 7.30pm on BBC One.
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