Former Rugby star Ben Cohen and Strictly’s Kristina Rihanoff found love on the BBC show, the couple have reportedly put their multi-million pound home up for sale
Ben Cohen and Kristina Rihanoff are reportedly selling their £1.75million home following their financial woes.
The couple found love on Strictly back in 2013 after they were paired together by BBC bosses. Since then, the pair have been inseparable, but in recent years the couple have been facing struggles.
In 2022, the couple were as loved up as ever, opting to get engaged during a romantic trip to the Maldives where the pair baked in the sun. But since then the pair have faced issues and are fighting to keep their marriage alive – with former rugby star Ben admitting last year they’ve “been through the wringer”.
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Their financial and relationship struggles were laid bare when Kristina appeared in court charged with driving without insurance earlier this year. Kristina and Ben were ordered to do unpaid community service and pay a fine to Northamptonshire authorities.
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Now, in the hopes of making more money, the couple appear to be selling their family home in the town of Sywell, according to MailOnline. The house listed on online property website RightMove has been described as a “superb family home offering spacious and versatile living accommodation”.
The house was put on the market back on September 19, eight years after the couple first bought the house in 2016. Boasting a huge plot of land measuring 1.73 acres, the home also includes an “impressive kitchen and breakfast/ family living area”.
Kristina and Ben’s financial issues came to light during the COVID-19 pandemic back in 2020, when Kristina was caught driving the couple’s Audi Q3, worth about £30k, without the proper insurance. Ben explained at a hearing at Northampton Crown Court that he had ignored a message from his insurance company about the car’s policy, as he tried to find a cheaper quote.
Both Ben and Kristina have also launched their own businesses, which have also impacted their finances. When asked about the toll the cost of their endeavours has on their relationship, Ben told the court: “I get up every day and I fight not to lose everything – to lose my cars and my house and my relationship; I’m so overdrawn.”
He confirmed that he and Kristina were “still living together” during the court hearing, but admitted: “We’re in it financially. We’re in business together so the problem is that we opened the business before Covid and we got the worst severities of it and in all honestly this is just another problem for me to deal with.”
Kristina appealed the conviction to the presiding judge, urging them to show leniency as she needed the car to drive to ballroom competitions, which earned her £2k a month. However, recorder Louise Cox was unable to spare her the charges, though she admitted she had “every sympathy” with the couple.
Following the hearing, Kristina was fined £357 to pay for appeal costs. However, she was spared a full driving ban for on the grounds of “exceptional hardship”, despite racking up twelve penalty points on her license.
Ben told Hello! Magazine last year: “Over the last nine years we’ve been through the wringer. To support each other through difficult times in business is the ultimate test in a relationship. I’ve watched her flourish, from her becoming a mum to growing as a businesswoman, and it has strengthened our bond.”
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
