‘What goes around comes around’: Ben Cohen’s ex-wife reacts to split with Strictly star Kristina Rihanoff
Ben Cohen’s ex wife, Abby, has shared her brutally honest thoughts amid rumours he has split with his partner and former Strictly Come Dancing co-star, Kristina Rihanoff.
Abby fell victim to what was been dubbed the “Strictly curse”, as the show has become notorious for appearing to lead to breakups for even the most seemingly strong relationships.
The rugby player first appeared on the show in 2013 and was partnered with the Siberian professional dancer, while he was married to Abby and shared twin daughters with her. The couple were childhood sweethearts, having first got together aged 17.
He eventually entered a relationship with Kristina but denied anything happened while they were on the show together. They went on to get engaged in 2022, and share one child together. However, their relationship is on the rocks following financial and personal troubles, according to the Daily Mail.
Abby, who has said she has “never ever seen her [Kristina] since the show”, hopes that the split will lead to the end of a saga, which she says has left her with PTSD.
“I’m sick of being talked about every time Ben and Kristina are mentioned,” she told the Daily Mail.
“Unfortunately, I’m always brought into their story because I was the victim, if you like, at the time. Their love story involves me because I was the third person. But I just want it to go away. I want this to be closure on it.”
Reflecting on the situation, she admitted she does “feel sorry” for her estranged ex-husband.
“I’m sad for Ben. I do feel sorry for him,” she continued. “Our marriage broke down and it’s happening all over again to him, and he’s got another child.
“He’s got to start again from nothing, in his late forties. He’s going from being so successful as a rugby player to [people] now reading of his business failures.”
However, she added: “I don’t want to make him look more stupid than he already does. It’s come full circle now that they have split. It reminds me of all the hurt I went through. Was it really worth it? I don’t know.’
“I have read people commenting on this, saying: ‘The wife will be happy about that, it’s karma.’ I think that what goes around, comes around, doesn’t it?”
She went on to disparage the foundations of the couple’s relationship as she said it was “all about lust”.
“To be successful and have longevity, relationships have to be built on strong foundations,” said Abby, who is in a happy relationship with her new partner, David. “How they met is not, in my opinion, a solid enough foundation because it is all about lust. It’s a physical thing. I don’t know, but it doesn’t seem to me like an organic thing.”
She admitted the situation was difficult as the couple were “best friends”, but he did not get in touch at all following her colon cancer diagnosis. Abby compared herself to Kristina who she said “doesn’t have any wellies, put it that way”, adding: “She doesn’t pick dog mess off the floor like I have to do every day”.
