THE pressure of a crippling £1million debt was the straw that broke the back of Strictly’s Kristina Rihanoff and Ben Cohen’s 12-year romance.
But those with an intimate knowledge of the couple tell The Sun tensions between the pair have been bubbling under the surface for years – with Kristina taking issue with his relationship with his ex-wife Abby Cohen.
Ben and Kristina met after being paired with her on Strictly in 2013[/caption]
Ben, 46, and Kristina, 47, have an eight-year-old daughter[/caption]
Ben with his ex Abby[/caption]
Despite Ben, 46, publicly humiliating Abby when he dumped her for Kristina, 47, after being paired with her on Strictly in 2013, the pair have remained cordial for the sake of their two daughters.
And although Abby has since moved on with a new man, David Warner, and has carved out a successful career as a photographer, the “happy families” set-up is said to have irked the fiery Russian pro.
“Kristina said she was annoyed seeing Abby being so happy with David as her relationship with Ben was crumbling,” a close friend said.
“She thought it felt like Abby was taking revenge, which of course she wasn’t, but that is how Kristina said it felt.
“Ben and Abby had always remained cordial for the sake of their children and Kristina said she had struggled with feelings of jealousy.
“He was devoted to Kristina and wanted to do everything he could to juggle both families he had.
“But the tensions often led to rows between them.
“Ben assured Kristina she had nothing to worry about but it didn’t make a difference.
“As times got harder for Ben and Kristina, seeing Abby so happy with David and seeing their photographs in the media made her feel upset. It added to the strain.”
Those close to Kristina said that tensions with Abby harked back to the very start of her relationship with Ben.
The pair initially grew close when they were partnered together on the eleventh series of the BBC dancing show and not long after their turn on the dancefloor, Ben left Abby for Kristina in 2014.
Heartbroken, Abby told The Sun on Sunday at the time that she referred to Kristina “that f***ing Russian,” when talking about how the split had ruined her life.
Those close to Kristina told The Sun she was livid about the remark, and despite Abby later apologising for what she said – the comment was still a painful memory.
“Kristina hated the fact that Ben didn’t come out and defend her publicly after Abby branded her a ‘f***ing Russian dancer,” the friend explained.
“It caused some pretty big rows between them.
“Kristina said she felt like Ben was being disloyal to her and their relationship by not coming out to bat for her.
BEN COHEN AND KRISTINA RHIANOFF’S ROCKY RELATIONSHIP
The couple had met when they were partnered for the 11th series of Strictly Come Dancing in 2013, and fell in love.
This was despite Cohen being married at the time to Abby Bray.
Cohen and Rihanoff share daughter Mila, and had planned to tie the knot in Tuscany or Oxfordshire.
He told Hello! Magazine in 2023: “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.”
The pair previously revealed they got engaged during a sun-soaked Maldives getaway in 2022.
“Even all these years from the comment Abby made, it still annoys Kristina and the fact Ben didn’t say anything to defend her is painful.
“She even had to come out herself and defend the way they met in the end, arguing that people meet at work and that is how she fell in love with Ben. But he said nothing.
“But speaking out was never what Ben was about. He always preferred to live a quieter life out of the spotlight. He didn’t enjoy interviews and preferred to keep himself to himself.”
Following the breakdown of his marriage to Abby, Ben and Kristina started a new life together.
They welcomed their daughter together in 2016 and got engaged in 2022.
The major moments in their lives were all marked with glossy magazine deals with Hello! magazine, something friends said made Ben feel uncomfortable.
“Kristina always used the media to her advantage and wanted to put their lives out there,” the friend said.
“Ben really hated the publicity. Even during his career as a rugby player for England he never wanted to be front and centre.
“When he was married to Abby, his family life all played out behind closed doors.
“With Kristina, the birth of their child and then their proposal was all put out to public tender. Their daughter’s dancing has also been talked about and Kristina believes she is a big star of the future.
“He went along with it to keep Kristina happy but he was always the one who had to be persuaded to do it.
“Kristina wanted to show the world that they were a Strictly success story.
“They may have met under a cloud of scrutiny but she was proud they’d make their relationship work and she wanted the world to know that they were happy.”
The pair, who own a £1.75m house in Northamptonshire, eventually went into business together, with Kristina also working as a dance instructor.
Kristina said the pair had “invested everything we’ve ever had” into their company Soo Yoga, after turning her passion for the exercise into a business.
However after the pandemic hit, they ran into serious trouble.
Their financial difficulties were made public in court last September, when Kristina was caught driving her £30,000 Audi without insurance.
Kristina sobbed as Ben took to the stand and admitted human error on his part meant Kristina had been driving without insurance – meaning she was facing a driving ban which would be financially devastating for her business as a dance instructor.
As Ben spoke to the court, he revealed the pair were fighting to save their 12-year relationship, admitting he was crippled with debts from their businesses, including their joint yoga venture.
Paperwork reveals that debts accrued by their companies now add up to £1million.
Their Soo Yoga Group ran up debts of £488,470 and another of their fitness firms – Yoga Wellbeing Limited – had debts of £63,000.
Their business Soo Greens Limited also racked up £54,000 of debts and fitness company Beyond Wellbeing was dissolved in 2022 with debts of £22,000.
Ben also quit as a company director of struggling web firm Silicon Networks in 2020 and the company is now in liquidation with debts of £275,000, including a £98,000 tax bill owed to HMRC.
Speaking in court last year, Ben became emotional as he spoke about the realities of the financial crisis they were facing.
He said: “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.”
When asked about the strain it had put on their relationship, Ben said: “We’re still living together. 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.
“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.”
Following the court case, where Kristina was spared a driving ban due to “exceptional hardship”, the pair put their Northamptonshire home up for sale.
But rather than choosing to limp on, the pair have now split and are trying to move on with their lives.
“There is only so much one couple can take,” a friend explained.
“The financial problems Kristina and Ben were facing pushed them to the brink and it has been incredibly stressful for them.
“This was what properly broke them and ended the relationship.
“But their union hasn’t always been rosy and they have had an up-and-down relationship for many years.”
Those close to Kristina say that tensions with Ben’s ex Abby harked back to the very start of her relationship with him[/caption]
Their financial difficulties were made public last year[/caption]
Speaking in court last year, Ben became emotional as he spoke about the realities of the financial crisis they were facing[/caption]
Ben also quit as a company director of struggling web firm Silicon Networks in 2020 and the company is now in liquidation with debts of £275,000, including a £98,000 tax bill[/caption]
