Professional dancer Kristina Rihanoff has reportedly split from rugby player Ben Cohen after they met on Strictly Come Dancing 12 years ago
Kristina Rihanoff and rugby star Ben Cohen have called it quits, more than a decade after they first met on Strictly Come Dancing.
Friends of the couple, who have been together for 12 years, have told The Sun that financial difficulties tore the lovebirds apart.
The ex-England rugby star was married to Abby Blayney, who he shares twin daughters with, when he was a contestant on the eleventh series of Strictly. Their relationship succummed to the “Strictly curse” when he was partnered up with Russian pro Kristina when a spark quickly lit.
One friend said: “It’s like the curse in reverse.”
Kristina and Ben’s financial issues came to light during the COVID pandemic, when Kristina was caught driving the couple’s Audi Q3 without the proper insurance.
Ben told the 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 have also launched their own businesses, which 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.”
And in 2023, Ben told Hello! Magazine: “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
