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She was left devastated when her husband Ben Cohen left her for Kristina Rihanoff, admitting her world ‘fell apart’.
Yet 12 years on and it seems Abby Cohen is having the last laugh – with claims her rugby player ex and the former Strictly pro have split.
Friends confirmed to The Sun that the pair have parted ways after financial difficulties tore the relationship apart.
And the shock breakup is sure to bring back memories of how their relationship started, with Ben, 46, sparking public outrage when he left Abby, 41, for ‘Siberian siren’ Kristina, 47.
Nothing went on during their time on the BBC show, Ben and Kristina have always strenuously insisted, yet after their Strictly journey came to an end Ben developed feelings so strong that he walked away from his 13-year marriage.
It was a decision that did not sit well for the public, nor of course his jilted wife.
Strictly’s Kristina Rihanoff and Ben Cohen (above) have reportedly split after 12 years together – and his ex-wife Abby has had the last laugh
The ex-England rugby star, 46, and dancer’s relationship was the product of the infamous Strictly curse and Ben left his then wife Abby (pictured in 2014) for the Russian star, 47
Speaking of Kristina and Ben’s split, a friend told the The Sun: ‘Ben left his wife Abby for Kristina, only to now split with her.
‘It’s like the curse in reverse. This will be like karma for Abby, she was so upset when Ben left her. It’s like he has got his comeuppance.’
Meanwhile, Abby is now loved-up with her current partner David Warner, proudly showing off the hunk on her Instagram.
At the time Abby spoke publicly about her heartbreak, claiming Ben had ‘done the dirty’ on her and famously declaring: ‘My husband, who I was with for 23 years, unconditionally loved and was completely loyal to in every respect, has left me for a f**king Russian dancer.’
Yet Ben and Kristina paid no attention to the outside noise as they proudly declared their love for each other – going on to welcome daughter Milena, eight.
At the time of her marriage breakdown, Abby told The Sun On Sunday: ‘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.
‘I don’t want to cause stress or further damage by stirring things up. But I’m just trying to recover from what has been the most horrific time of my life.’
Regardless of when Ben’s new romance started, it was no wonder Abby’s sense of betrayal felt overwhelming.
The couple first met when they were 16, and before Strictly they lived a decidedly down-to-earth lifestyle, despite his status as a rugby player.
Despite more than a decade together, friends have now confirmed that the pair have parted ways after financial difficulties tore the relationship apart
Meanwhile, Abby is now loved-up with her current partner David Warner, proudly showing off the hunk on her Instagram
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Strictly’s Kristina Rihanoff and Ben Cohen ‘split after 12 years together’
‘Ben and I had a lovely marriage,’ she told the Mail. ‘We were just Abs and Ben. We had no problems and he was always loyal to me. He was a really good husband who just happened to be a famous rugby player.’
Abby’s career was eventing and running a livery yard from their home. She described how Ben would play rugby and then come back to their ‘bubble’ with their horse – and later their twin daughters, who were born in 2007.
She said they actively avoided the showbiz world until Ben decided to take part in Strictly.
After their split, she described the pain of not only losing her husband but being separated from her daughters when they were spending time with their father.
Her livery yard was sold along with the family home, meaning she had to build a new career for herself on top of everything else.
Photography, which started as a hobby, became her new business and she said the sense of achievement it gave her – after years living in her famous husband’s shadow – helped her get her life back on track.
‘I began to let go of the past and realise, it’s happened. I can’t get my old life back. Ben has moved on. He’s happy. He made his choice. I’ve got to accept that he wants to be with a new person and won’t be coming back,’ she said.
When Ben split from Abby, he and Kristina denied that they had had an affair, despite being pictured with their arms around one another on the London Underground.
During the summer of 2015 they went to Turkey together but tried to hide this – even taking separate flights to the Turkish resort of Antalya.
After their Strictly journey came to an end Ben developed feelings so strong that he walked away from his 13-year marriage
Ben’s ex-wife Abby has been vocal about the betrayal she went through with Ben, saying she watched her marriage ‘disintegrate’ before her eyes (pictured in 2003)
At the time of her marriage breakdown, Abby told The Sun On Sunday: ‘The last two years have been the most traumatic thing to ever happen to me’ (pictured with current partner David)
Revealing that the news Ben and Kristina were expecting a child of their own felt ‘like a dagger’ when the news broke in 2016.
Abby said that ‘she couldn’t imagine going through this hell’ but insisted ‘if I can, anyone can’.
She also shared that she was unable to eat, sleep or ‘get out of bed’ when her and Ben’s marriage ended and suffered two mental breakdowns.
Opening up to new! about watching her marriage ‘disintegrate’ before her eyes, Abby – who fell in love with Ben after meeting him aged just 16 – explained: ‘I sat in the [Strictly] studio audience each week smiling, but looking back, I see I was terrified.’
She added: ‘Thankfully, I don’t recognise that frightened woman now, I’m so different. Perhaps Strictly did me a favour in the long run.’
Cracks had started to show last year after Ben and Kristina placed their £1.75 million home on the market amid money struggles, which Ben said in court in October had put pressure on their relationship.
The five-bedroom home in Northamptonshire, which was bought in 2016, was put up for sale in October for £1,750,000.
Ben pleaded poverty, admitting he was ‘fighting to save his relationship and home’ after Kristina was caught driving without insurance.
The pair, who share an eight-year-old daughter Melina, faced more potential legal battles after failing to submit accounts for a yoga studio which plunged almost £500,000 into the red
The pair appeared to put on a united front last November when Kristina shared a sweet snap with Ben’s two eldest daughters from his marriage to Abby at a black tie event
She was slapped with six points on her licence but faced a ban for totting up 12 penalty points after being caught behind the wheel of her £30,000 Audi Q3 in Northampton on April 4.
The pair appeared to put on a united front last November when Kristina shared a sweet snap with Ben’s two eldest daughters from his marriage to Abby at a black tie event.
Meanwhile she hasn’t shared a snap with Ben on her grid since last August when the couple posed with their daughter at a dance competition.
The sale of the house appears to be a bid to salvage some of their financial difficulties after the pair set up several businesses together.
The pair faced more potential legal battles after failing to submit accounts for a yoga studio which plunged almost £500,000 into the red.
Their money troubles started to rear its head following the Covid pandemic in 2020, which impacted their fitness and wellbeing studio called Soo Yoga in Northampton.
The business struggled to make money during the pandemic, which Ben acknowledged while giving his testimony at Northampton Crown 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 said.
When questioned on how this was impacting his relationship he added: ‘We’re still living together. We’re in it financially.
After their split, Abby described the pain of not only losing her husband but being separated from her daughters when they were spending time with their father (pictured with her now partner)
Kristina left Strictly in 2015 after falling pregnant with Ben’s daughter, now eight (pictured in 2021)
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‘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.
‘I’ve got credit cards that are overdrawn. I’m overdrawn in both accounts. We have got a business debt because of Covid. It’s just another problem.’
Kristina left Strictly in 2015 after falling pregnant with Ben’s daughter, now eight.
Ben previously said his relationship with Kristina had been ‘strengthened’ by ‘difficult times in business’ ahead of their wedding.
He 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.’
They told the magazine that they plan to make the big day a family affair with their daughter and Ben’s twin daughters from his marriage to Abby serving as bridesmaids.
In February 2024 he revealed the pair planned to ‘marry in secret’.
Talking about his ploy for a low-key wedding, host Jeremy Vine asked: ‘Ben, I must ask you about love because you’re getting married soon, aren’t you. You’ve been engaged for a while to the Strictly legend, Kristina.’
‘Yeah, Kristina – no, we’re not, we’re not going to get married yet. Listening to you guys [in the studio], it’s so much going on in the world at the moment,’ the sportsperson answered promptly.
‘You know, having a business in today’s world is really tough. Not only do we have to deal with Brexit, we’ve gone into Covid and all the lockdowns and three wars and a recession.
So we’ll get our business sorted and concentrate on that and then once things perk up a little bit, we may think about doing it somewhere probably in secret,’ he added.
VICTIMS OF THE STRICTLY CURSE
A look back at when The Curse struck… starting all the way back with series 1
Series 1: Natasha Kaplinsky and Brendan Cole
Strictly hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons during season one. Viewers were transfixed by the apparent close bond between newsreader Natasha Kaplinsky and her hunky partner Brendan Cole.
Did they/didn’t they? Natasha and her hunky partner Cole sparked affair rumours
Although the pair went on to win the show, their success was blighted by affair rumours.
BBC presenter Natasha soon split from long-term partner Mike Barnard while Brendan dumped his fiancée and fellow dancer Camilla Dallerup.
Writing in her book Strictly Inspirational, Camilla said their split was like a ‘mini death’.
‘You go through the arc of grief, anger, bitterness,’ she said. ‘My best friend and dancing professionally with Brendan had both gone.’
However, Natasha has always denied any wrongdoing, saying: ‘There was chemistry, of course, and I certainly fell in love with dancing, but I did not fall in love with Brendan.’
Series 5: Matt Di Angelo and Flavia Cacace
Of all the Strictly romances there’s been over the years, this remains one of the most interesting.
Clandestine: Before long gossip was raging about how Flavia and Matt, then 19, were secretly in love
Flavia Cacace was in a long-term relationship with her dance partner Vincent Simone when she was partnered with Matt Di Angelo in 2007. He was eight years her junior.
Before long gossip was raging about how Flavia and Matt, then 19, were secretly in love. Shortly after the show finished she called time on her romance with Vincent and went public with Matt.
Looking back at their partnership, Matt told Daily Mail: ‘It was a pretty crazy time. It was front page news.
‘The funny thing was the story did not start off as true, but the more you read it, the more you started to believe it and actually act on it.’
Their romance ended in 2010, and a few weeks later Flavia admitted she was dating her latest dance partner, actor Jimi Mistry, who she went on to marry.
Series 7: Joe Calzaghe and Kristina Rihanoff
Not to be: Kristina is said to have also wanted children while Joe already has two sons from a previous relationship
Over: Unfortunately for Kara and Artem their relationship didn’t go the distance
Scandal: Kristina was recently forced to defend her romance with Ben
Former boxer Joe Calzaghe split with his girlfriend of five years Jo-Emma Larvin just a week into the show in 2009.
The sportsman began a relationship with Russian dancer Kristina Rihanoff soon afterwards.
The pair enjoyed a four-year romance but parted ways after Joe reportedly asked Kristina not to accept a role dancing in a stage production.
Speaking to Hello! Kristina said: ‘He was sick and tired of waiting around for me, and said that if I truly loved him, I wouldn’t have taken the job in the West End.’
Kristina is said to have also wanted children while Joe already has two sons from a previous relationship.
Series 8: Kara Tointon and Artem Chigvintsev
Unfortunately for Kara Tointon and Artem Chigvintsev their relationship didn’t manage to go the distance.
After winning the show in 2010 the pair hooked up, love quickly blossomed and they moved into a London home together.
However, it’s believed Russian Artem’s visa issues saw him having to spend time apart from Kara for months on end and they eventually decided to call it a day.
Actress Kara welcomed her baby son, Frey with fiancé Marius Jensen in 2018, while Artem has struck up a romance with retired WWE wrestler, Nikki Bella since moving to the US to compete on Dancing With the Stars in 2014.
Series 11: Ben Cohen and Kristina Rihanoff
Kristina Rihanoff was recently forced to defend her romance with Strictly partner Ben Cohen insisting that their relationship only began once his 11 year marriage to wife Abby had come to an end.
‘He left his wife a year ago,’ she told Daily Mirror. ‘Recently we started dating but we’re allowed to see each other as two single people.’
Kristina – who has also dated Vincent Simone and ex partner Joe Calzaghe – said there have been other couples, yet she is the only one to be ‘attacked’.
She said: ‘Ben’s said it many times and I’ll say it again – I wasn’t involved in the breaking up of his marriage.’
Meanwhile Abby described the split and resultant divorce as ‘the most traumatic thing to ever happen to me’.
Ben, 37, met Abby in 1995 at the age of 17, and the couple married in 2003 before welcoming their daughters in 2008.
Series 11: Rachel Riley and Pasha Kovalev
‘It doesn’t exist!’ Rachel brushed aside the fact that The Curse exists, after she left her husband and got together with Pasha
On the same series, Countdown’s math whiz Rachel Riley’s relationship with her pro partner Pasha Kovalev ultimately ended her marriage to her husband of just one year.
She wed Jamie Gilbert in 2012, taking part on 2013’s season of the dancing show. By the end of 2013, they had split and she was with Pasha – which she claims began after the show came to an end.
‘On Strictly, you form a close bond with your partner, but there was nothing romantic when Pasha and I were dancing. It was just dancing,’ she told the Mail the following January, insisting there’s no such thing as The Curse.
‘[Strictly] serves as a magnifying glass that shows up pre-existing fault lines,’ she said, explaining the situation. She is still with Pasha today.
Series 11: Susanna Reid
Epiphany: Shortly after the show ended, Susanna split from her long-term partner Dominic Cotton
Divorcee: Actress Sunetra also announced her marriage split after starring on Strictly
Susanna Reid was another victim of series 11. She was billed as the most popular breakfast TV host and in a 15-year relationship when she reached the Strictly Come Dancing final that year.
However shortly after the show ended, the TV host split from her long-term partner Dominic Cotton.
However, mother-of-three Susanna, who was paired with professional Kevin Clifton, said the programme was not to blame for her love problems.
Good Morning Britain presenter Susanna told Daily Mirror: ‘I think people think Strictly was bound up in what happened. It wasn’t. Obviously things have been challenging in my personal life but we are getting things sorted.’
Series 12: Sunetra Sarker
Actress Sunetra Sarker also announced her marriage split after starring on Strictly.
She parted ways with her husband Nick Corfield after ten years of marriage just before the programme hit the screens.
The couple first met in 1989 while on holiday in Jersey and have a 13-year-old son together.
However, she said the romance had ended long before her reality show stint: ‘The truth is three years ago me and my husband amicably split up and it obviously had nothing to do with Strictly.’
The Casualty actress, who plays Dr Zoe Hanna in the BBC medical drama, is now said to be dating business partner Scott Carey. Together, the pair set up the food firm Keep Me Fresh.
Series 12: Caroline Flack
Caroline Flack broke up with her boyfriend of a year and a half, Jack Street, after making her way into the Strictly Come Dancing semi-final.
The price of success: Caroline Flack broke up with her boyfriend of a year and a half, Jack Street, after making her way into the Strictly Come Dancing semi-final
According to The Sun, she was ‘distraught’ backstage at the BBC show, but managed to put on a brave face to wow with her Tango and top the leader board.
A source close to her told the newspaper: ‘It came to a natural end and was mutual.’
Some contestants have ended relationships to engage in a romance with their dance partner on the show, but the source noted that in Caroline’s case, this wasn’t the reason.
‘No one else is involved,’ they stated.
Caroline had been seeing music manager Jack for around 18 months and she previously said that he was fine with her working on the talent show despite its reputation.
‘Jack’s been completely fine about the whole curse thing,’ she said, quoted in The Mirror. ‘He hasn’t once been worried’.
Series 13: Helen George
Over and out: Helen announced her split from husband of three years Oliver Boot, after she was revealed as a contestant (pictured with pro Aljaz Skorjanec)
It did not take long before the dreaded curse of Strictly struck again.
Actress Helen George announced her split from husband of three years, fellow actor Oliver Boot, after she was revealed as a contestant on the show.
‘I can confirm that Helen separated from her husband some time ago,’ a spokesperson for the star said. She has not been linked to any fellow Strictly contestants or professional dancers.
A Royal Academy Of Music graduate, Helen is best known for starring as Nurse Beatrix ‘Trixie’ Franklin in the hit BBC period drama Call The Midwife.
George has also performed as a back-up singer for Sir Elton John and starred in a musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber and David Zippel called The Woman In White.
She met her former partner on set of BBC drama Hotel Babylon, and the couple married in December 2012.
Series 13: Georgia May Foote
The actress was in a relationship with her Coronation Street co-star Sean Ward when she took part in the 2015 series of the show.
Break-up: Shortly after Georgina finished runner-up in the final, she announced her split from Sean
But cracks began to show as it was reported that Sean was enraged with jealousy over her decision to take part, and even allegedly accompanied her to rehearsals at the beginning of her Strictly journey.
Shortly after she finished runner-up in the final, she and Sean announced their split – with Georgia seen kissing her dance partner Giovanni Pernice during a romantic trip to Disneyland soon after.
However, shortly before rehearsals for the 2016 series began, Georgia and Giovanni called time on their romance after just a year.
Giovanni has since moved on with 2018 contestant and former Pussycat Doll Ashley Roberts, while Georgia is dating rapper Kris Evans.
Series 14: Louise and Jamie Redknapp
Divorced: Louise Redknapp appeared on the series in 2016, after which she and Jamie were said to be facing marital issues
Footballer Jamie Redknapp is said to have been offered a place on the Strictly line-up recently, but understandably has refused after the series was blamed for the demise of his marriage to wife Louise.
Louise appeared on the series in 2016, after which she and Jamie were said to be facing marital issues. By the end of 2017, they were divorced.
It was highly-speculated that Louise realised, during the show, that she wanted to get back to work having sacrificed her career for her marriage – with co-star Daisy Lowe said to have helped her ‘rediscover her youth’.
A TV source said: ‘Strictly used to be show that no celebrity ever turned down. But the Curse has changed all that. There is now a genuine concern that appearing on the show can negatively impact relationships. Jamie only has negative feelings about Strictly now. There’s absolutely no way he would appear.’
Louise was also rumoured to have struck up a romantic bond with her pro partner Kevin Clifton, but this has never been confirmed.
Series 14: Kevin and Karen Clifton
Split: The Cliftons – a married pair of pro dancers – split romantically in 2018
Despite the rumours surrounding thrice-married Kevin while he partnered with Louise, nothing seemed to transpire between the two. He was, of course, married at the time too – to fellow pro Karen Clifton.
However, since then, the pair have split up.
Kevin proposed to her, on her birthday, on stage during a performance of Burn the Floor and they wed in July 2015. But in March 2018, they confirmed that they were no longer together romantically.
They have since continued to work together as a pro dance partnership, however, insisting there is no bad blood.
Series 16: Stacey Dooley, Sam Tucknott and Kevin Clifton
We’re done: Stacey’s boyfriend of five years Sam Tucknott, 30, revealed Stacey had left him in an interview with the Mail On Sunday
Stacey’s boyfriend of five years Sam Tucknott, 30, revealed Stacey had left him in an interview with the Mail On Sunday in April. He called her dance partner, three-times married Kevin Clifton, 36, a slippery snake
Sam confronted Kevin in furious video chat where he branded him a ‘proper rat’. He told MoS in an exclusive interview he feels betrayed by the new couple’s romance.
It has been alleged that Stacey and Kevin’s relationship was an ‘open secret’ on the Strictly tour News has cast shadow over latest series of show, resurrecting the so-called ‘Strictly curse’ that has seen 14 couples split.
The TV presenter, 32, broke her silence on Twitter soon after, insisting there ‘are two sides to every story’
All over: In August 2019, just ahead of series 17, Neil and Katya announced their split after 11 years of marriage
Series 16/17: Katya and Neil Jones
2018 saw The Curse strike early on in the season, with drama escalating just three weeks into the live shows.
In a new twist, a love square formed when Katya Jones, who is married to fellow show professional Neil, was snapped all over her celeb partner, comedian Seann Walsh, on the street outside a pub in London. This took part on Sean’s girlfriend’s – actress and writer Rebecca Humphries – birthday, no less.
Dumped: Neil and Katya’s break-up comes 10 months after her kiss with Seann (pictured with ex-girlfriend Rebecca Humphries)
The pair brushed it off as a ‘one-off mistake’, despite them kissing and laughing brazenly in public. Since then, Rebecca ‘dumped’ Seann via a Twitter statement.
Seann and Katya did not pull out of the show, with their dalliance a gigantic elephant in the room as they still performed on the series, with Neil on set too.
However, In August 2019, just ahead of series 17, Neil and Katya announced their split after 11 years of marriage. The break-up coming just 10 months after her kiss with Seann.
Series 18: Nadiya Bychkova, Matija Škarabot and Kai Widdrington
In January 2022, Nadiya revealed she had split from her fiancé Matija Škarabot, with whom she shares her five-old daughter.
New couple: Fellow professional dancers Nadiya and Kai struck up a romance after she split from her fiancé Matija
The news broke shortly after she had partnered with married BBC Breakfast host Dan Walker and there were rumours of a romance, which they were quick to dispel.
The professional dancer later revealed that she had in fact secretly split from her fiancé before series 18 had even began and during that time she struck up a dancer with fellow pro Kai – who had been romantically linked to his partner that series – AJ Odudu.
While Nadiya did not disclose exactly when she and Kai started dating she said in her first interview about their romance that she found him to be ‘He’s kind and compassionate and makes me laugh. I feel very relaxed with him.’
Series 18: Max George, Stacey Giggs and Maisie Smith
Dancing through life: Max and Maisie struck up a romance after appearing on series 18 of the hit show together
When Max appeared on series 18 of Strictly he was happily loved-up with Stacey, whom he had been dating for four years, with the singer taking on the role of stepfather to her two children.
Yet months after appearing on the show he began a relationship with fellow series 18 star Maisie Smith, who had been linked to singer HRVY during her initial time on the show.
Yet Max and Maisie are said to have grown close on the Strictly live tour, which took place a couple of months after they appeared on the show together.
Stacey then accused her ex of cheating on her with Maisie and reportedly felt ‘betrayed’ by her former beau.
Series 19: Adam Peaty and Eirianedd Munro
Sad: Adam Peaty has split from his girlfriend Eirianedd Munro after three years together and apologised for ‘letting down’ his partner and their son
In an Instagram statement in August 2022, Olympic swimmer Adam took to Instagram to confirm that he and his girlfriend Eirianedd Munro had split after three years together.
He said that the couple had decided to go ‘their separate ways’ but that their son George, who is two next month, remained their ‘priority’.
Announcing the news via social media, Adam wrote: ‘Eiri and George, I’m sorry for letting you down. My only interest is for the well-being of our family at this difficult time.’
The split comes Adam raised eyebrows with his chemistry with pro partner Katya Jones on the dance floor last year, with eagle-eyed fans claiming they thought that they nearly kissed at the end of one steamy routine.
After the incident, Eirianedd admitted she had been ‘really emotional’ after her sportsman beau’s ‘near kiss’ with Katya.
Eirianedd, told fans she took a ‘short break’ from social media after Adam and Katya got very close at the end of their racy Argentine Tango last autumn.
Series 19: Rose Ayling-Ellis and Sam Arnold
Strictly winner Rose Ayling-Ellis has wished dance partner Giovanni Pernice a happy birthday after splitting from her long-term boyfriend Sam Arnold.
The EastEnders actress, 27, was with her partner for seven years, with him cheering her on as she lifted the glitterball trophy last year.
Sad: Strictly winner Rose Ayling-Ellis has reportedly split from her long-term boyfriend Sam Arnold (pictured together)
But the couple have reportedly called it quits as Rose continues to throw herself into work after being inundated with offers after winning Strictly.
It comes after it was recently reported that Rose’s friends have expressed doubt over the couple’s future due to their busy work schedules and have said they are worried that the infamous Strictly curse may strike again.
Rose – who has kept her relationship fairly private over the years – holidayed in Barcelona by herself earlier this year.