Ben Cohen’s ex-wife Abby has spoken out following the news that he and his Strictly Come Dancing star fiancée Kristina Rihanoff called it a day on their romance

Ben Cohen’s ex-wife has issued a blistering remark after his split from Kristina Rihanoff.

Abby Cohen was left heartbroken when Ben revealed that their marriage was over in 2014. He later struck up a romance with Rihanoff, who he met on BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing. However, their engagement came to an end earlier this year after getting engaged in November 2022.

It was revealed earlier this month that Ben, 46, and Kristina, 47, had been suffering from financial problems before the breakdown of their relationship. Their split has been dubbed the “curse in reverse,” a twist on the Strictly curse which has seen celebrities leave their real life partners and strike up a romance with their professional dancers.

In a new interview, Abby said: “I’m sad for Ben. 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.” Abby went on to say she ‘doesn’t want to make Ben look more stupid than he already does.

Abby’s life came crashing to a halt when Ben walked out of their marriage ( 
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Internet Unknown)

The mum said news of his latest break-up brought back the wounds of old, and is left bereft that their daughters will also have to ‘relive the pain’ – along with the sister they share after Kristina welcomed a child with their dad.

Abby says she still has PTSD when she hears the Strictly soundtrack. But while she and Kristina live in the same town, it appears that she has no plans to reconcile or even reach out to her. “We are total opposites. I’m a homemaker. I’m a family girl. I make stews and Sunday dinners,” she went on to tell The Mail on Sunday.

Now, Ben and his Strictly star fiancée Kristina have split ( 
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Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images)
Abby continued: “I don’t know if Kristina does that, but I don’t think so. Me and Kristina are completely different. We look completely different. We like different things. She doesn’t have any wellies, put it that way. She doesn’t pick dog mess off the floor like I have to do every day.”

She once labelled Kristina “that f*****g Russian,” but the pair have never bumped into one another, not even when Ben and Abby’s children have been going between their homes. She believes that the universe has purposely kept the two apart in order to protect her emotions

Abby argued that Ben and Kristina met through ‘lust’ and didn’t have grounds for a solid relationship ( 
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PA)

Following the breakdown of their marriage, Abby said she no longer wanted to be here ( 
Image:
Getty ImagesA source claimed that following their financial woes, they realised that they couldn’t stay together. Speaking to The Sun, a source said that the “past six months has been hell” for the couple which has “torn the love they had apart”. The source went on to comment: “For the sake of their family, they have chosen to go forward as separate individuals. Those close to them who know them as a couple had hoped they would be able to work things out but for now it’s over and it looks like there’s no going back.”

In an interview with The Sun, Abby argued that Ben and Kristina’s relationship was far from strong due to how they met. She told the publication: “How they met is not, in my opinion, a solid enough foundation because it was all about lust and was a physical thing. It wasn’t an organic way to meet.”Reflecting on the breakdown of her marriage, Abby heartbreakingly said: “I was in a mess, I didn’t want to be here any more. I was really poorly. I sought help and support. I was really sad for a long time.” Speaking in 2015, she fumed: “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. 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.”