“IT’S BEEN HorrENDoUS” — Celebrity SAS star Ben Cohen opens up about the devastating year that saw his daughter fitted with a pacemaker. Amid court battles and split rumours, the family has been pushed to the brink

Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins star Ben Cohen hasn’t had much luck lately, and recently told how his daughter has been diagnosed with a worrying health condition.

He’s been dogged by split rumours, in court with money troubles and, earlier this month, revealed that one of his daughters has had to be fitted with a pacemaker.

Ben, who appears on the Channel 4 show this weekend (January 11), has admitted that things have been “horrendous”.

Ben Cohen, currently appearing on Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins, has been through the mill recently (Credit: Splash News)

Ben Cohen reveals daughter Izzy fitted with pacemaker

Former rugby player Ben, 47, shares twin daughters Isabelle and Harriette, 17, with ex-wife Abby.

Their split was announced in 2014, shortly after he appeared on Strictly Come Dancing, where he met current partner Kristina Rihanoff. He shares daughter Milena, nine, with the pro dancer.

On Celebrity SAS this weekend, Ben opens up about daughter Isabelle. He tells the DS that she’s been diagnosed with a health condition which means she needs to have a pacemaker fitted.

‘It’s been horrendous’

In the emotional chat, Ben says: “‘It’s been horrendous. Izzy is having a pacemaker fitted and it’s a lot to process. How do you deal with it? You be strong for your daughter, you have to be that pillar of strength. That’s when the self-neglect comes in because you prioritise other things before yourself.”

A pacemaker is a small, implanted electronic device that regulates your heartbeat by sending electrical impulses to your heart, preventing it from beating too slowly or irregularly, and improving quality of life for people with abnormal heart rhythms.

Ben hasn’t revealed any more details of Izzy’s condition. But he did add: “There’s so much going on in my life personally, in so many different areas. When you get to this point it almost takes the [bleep]ing lid off the can and all those emotions swirl with each other.

“There has been a lot of horrible stuff happening in my life and you don’t realise what is going to come back and get you a little bit later.”

Ben Cohen and Kristina Rihanoff are said to be giving their relationship another go (Credit: Splash News)

Relationship troubles

Ben and Kristina have reportedly had an on/off relationship for the past 18 months, with the most recent reports – in September 2025 – suggesting they were giving things another go.

It came after claims the couple’s financial struggles had “torn the love apart”.

The couple were pictured looking loved up on a night out, with one onlooker commenting: “They’ve decided to give things another go. They looked very much in love.”

The pictures came after Ben previously admitted that he was fighting “not to lose everything”.

Ben and Kristina’s money troubles and court appearance

March 2025 saw reports that Ben and Kristina had split after more than a decade together. Money troubles were cited as the cause of the temporary split, according to the papers.

In September 2024, Ben and Kristina appeared in court after she was caught driving without insurance in April. In court, Kristina – who owns a yoga studio with Ben – was apparently in tears. Ben also admitted he was trying to save their house and relationship amid money troubles.

Speaking at the time, Ben said: “I get up every day and I fight not to lose everything – my cars and my house and my relationship. I’m so overdrawn.”

When questioned about the strain on his relationship, Ben said: “We’re still living together. We’re in it financially.” However, he said the court case was “just another problem” for the pair.

He added: “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.”