BEN Cohen’s ex Abby has returned to social media for the first time since his split with Kristina Rihanoff was revealed.
The Sun revealed last week that former rugby ace Ben, 46, and ex Strictly pro Kristina, 47, had split after 12 years of marriage.
Strictly star Ben Cohen’s ex wife Abby has posted for the first time since his split[/caption]
Abby shared sunkissed snaps from her weekend[/caption]
The former rugby ace and ex Strictly’s Kristina Rihanoff have split after 12 years of marriage[/caption]
Abby, who was married to Ben for 13 years and shares twin daughters with, took to Instagram with a photo of her in the garden on Sunday.
She looked in good spirits as she posed for a sunkissed snap wearing a trendy denim jumpsuit and white trainers.
Abby made the most of the glorious weather as she headed to the horse racing in Guilsborough with her adorable dog, Branston Pickle.
The photographer held a glass of Pimm’s in her hand as she sat on a picnic blanket with her pet pooch.
Abby, who has not commented on her ex Ben’s recent break-up news, simply captioned the photo: “Sunday.”
On Sunday afternoon, Kristina was seen leaving her yoga studio in Northamptonshire just hours after their separation was made public.
While Ben was spotted at The Cabbage Patch Pub in Twickenham ahead of the England vs Italy Six Nations match yesterday.
It comes as we revealed the pressure of a crippling £1million debt was the final straw for the struggling couple’s relationship.
However, there had been tension bubbling under the surface ever since the pair fell in love on the Strictly dance floor 12 years ago.
They initially grew close when they were partnered together on the eleventh series of Strictly.
Not long after their turn on the dancefloor, Ben left ex-wife 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 upset by the remark, and despite Abby later apologising for what she said – they claim the comment became a “painful memory”.
“To be tarnished with the ‘other woman’ brush was particularly hard for Kristina,” a friend says.
“Her relationship with Ben didn’t start until his marriage was over but to see Abby coming for her at the start of their relationship so hard was painful.
“Even though Abby later apologised for what she had said, it was tough for Kristina to hear herself being called out in public.
“She said she had spoken with Ben about him not coming out to publicly defend them, and naturally it led to some arguments.
“Kristina herself eventually came out and publicly said that it was normal for people to meet at work, just like they did.
“It was a sore point for her.”
As Kristina, 47, and Ben, 46, moved on with their lives – welcoming their first child in 2016 – friends claimed his cordial friendship with Abby, the mother of his two children, appeared to lead to tensions.
More recently, Kristina and Ben went into business together.
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 laid bare in public during a court appearance 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 added 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.
Ben was married to Abby for 13 years[/caption]
Not long after their turn on the dancefloor, Ben left ex-wife Abby for Kristina in 2014[/caption]
