Joe Calzaghe and Kristina Rihanoff found themselves at the centre of romance rumours when they appeared on Strictly Come Dancing in 2009.
From the way the couple glided across the dance floor together and their electric connection on the glittery BBC programme, it was clear for all to see that sparks were certainly flying.
After the pair were booted off of the show, their romance continued with the couple hitting a few stumbling blocks across the way, before they ultimately parted ways.
Here, Daily Star explores the highs and lows of Joe and Kristina’s relationship and uncovers the real reason the pair finally opted to split.
How they met
(Image: BBC)
Joe took part in the seventh series of Strictly Come Dancing and found himself paired with the stunning Russian dancer.
Although the pair didn’t make it past the fifth week, that didn’t stop their bond from growing – with the pair taking their romance to the next level a year later when they moved in together.
It was easy to see that the pair were head-over-heels for one another with Kristina regularly admitting her affections for the professional boxer.
In an interview with WalesOnline at the time, she gushed: “Joe is the man of my dreams. I’ve found my other half and blossomed around him as a woman. I am besotted. We tell each other we love one another five times a day.”
She added: “Marriage is a definite possibility. If he did ask me to marry him, I’d say yes.”
Cracks start to show
(Image: PA)
After being inseparable their relationship was put to the test with the Welshman living in his homeland while his girlfriend had to be in London for her job on Strictly.
In 2011, Kristina was partnered with competitive showman Jason Donovan on the glitzy BBC programme and their commitment to the show began to drive a wedge between her romance with Joe.
In her book Dancing Out of Darkness, the pro dancer admitted that she had “neglected” Joe during her time on the show with Jason.
She penned: “We were going for it at 100mph and Jason was so focused on getting everything right there was no time for a pause. And yes, it did put a lot of strain on my relationship with Joe. I was home but not home – I was there in body but not in spirit.
“It wasn’t a normal relationship, and I accept that I neglected him during the series, but when I have a responsibility to someone professionally that takes priority over everything else; it always has done.
“Joe was supportive but I know he did feel lonely and left out.”
Kristina and Joe part ways
(Image: BBC)
Just two years later the loved-up twosome hit a real rough patch in their romance in 2013 and Kristina even dropped out of the Strictly tour in a bid to save her relationship with Joe.
But they faced further turmoil when the Russian native accepted a West End job in the box office hit Burn The Floor.
With new work commitments, there was barely any time to see the former boxer each week and the couple admitted defeat and parted ways for good.
Kristina explained that Joe wanted to remain in Wales with his parents and two sons and the ballroom dancer wasn’t prepared to give up on her blossoming career either.
Now
(Image: PA)
In 2015, Kristina moved on with Ben Cohen after they had been paired-up together on Strictly that year, with the twosome being struck by the dreaded “curse”.
At the time, their relationship was scandalous as Ben ultimately left his wife to explore his relationship with Kristina – the pair are still together and share daughter Milena, who is six.
Meanwhile, Joe had moved on with girlfriend Lucy Griffiths and even fuelled engagement rumours in 2018 during a romantic getaway – however they haven’t been pictured together for a while.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
