Strictly Come Dancing’s Kristina Rihanoff ‘splits from Ben Cohen’ after 12 years together

Kristina Rihanoff has reportedly split from rugby union player Ben Cohen after meeting on Strictly Come Dancing over 12 years ago.

The couple originally found love on the BBC show in 2013, when Ben – who was married to then-wife Abby Cohen – was paired with the professional dancer.

While on the show, Russian dancer Kristina, 47, and rugby star Ben, 46, were reportedly hit by the Strictly curse, with the couple becoming an item after Ben split from wife Abby. They later welcomed daughter Mila together in 2016.

Speaking about the couple’s split, friends told The Sun: “It’s like the curse in reverse. This will be like karma for Abby, she was so upset when Ben left her. It’s like he has got his comeuppance”.

Kristina Rihanoff and Ben Cohen met on Strictly Come Dancing before finding love (PA)

The couple have opened up about their financial struggles over the past year and have placed their £1.75million home in Northampton up for sale, while Ben has been removed as a director of their joint yoga business.

The friend added: “The past six months have been hell for them and it has torn the love they had apart. 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”. The Mirror has approached Kristina and Ben’s representatives for comment.

In September, a court heard how the couple were so in debt that they were “fighting not to lose their relationship and their home” as the former Strictly professional appealed a conviction for driving without insurance.

At the time, the court heard how Ben and Kristina’s businesses, which include a yoga studio, suffered as a result of Covid, with Ben saying: “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 impact of his financial struggles on his relationship with Kristina, he added: “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”.

During his rugby career, Ben played for Northampton, Brive and Sale Sharks as well as England from 2000 until 2006. He retired from the sport in 2011 and in recent years, appeared on The Jump, The Celebrity Chase and The Real Full Monty.

Kristina rose to fame in 2008 when she joined the cast of Strictly, taking part in eight series during her time on the show. She left in 2015 before entering the Celebrity Big Brother house the following year.

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Axed Apprentice candidate accuses Lord Sugar of ‘going soft in his old age’

Axed Apprentice star Jonny Heaver says Lord Sugar is going soft in old age. Tutoring company owner, Jonny, 24, was fired from the BBC1 show tonight and said on leaving Lord Sugar and his sidekicks were “heroes” of his.

But asked what it was like to work with the boss of the show, he added: “Lord Sugar has got a little bit less mean over time, because I look at like the old series, and I’m like ‘ wow’, and he still had his moments that I was under complete heat at times in the board, like he was not happy about rhubarb (previous sales task purchase). I got a very hard time for that.

” But I think on a scale of one to 10, he’s about six out of 10, not as scary. I think he used to be about nine out of 10. I think he has got a little bit softer with age. “

Jonny was on the losing team after a trip to Turkey saw both teams put on corporate away days. Although he was not project leader and did not make any huge mistakes in the task, he paid the price for not leading a task to date and continuing to be in the background.

His team prioritised profit but that led to boredom on their trip in Bodrum, while on the other team, terrible table service caused chaos in Cappadocia.

Lord Sugar on The Apprentice this year
Lord Sugar on The Apprentice this year (BBC/Naked/Ray Burmiston/Rufina Breskin)

Jonny who took part in a 4×4 tour as part of his task said:” Do you know what, I feel our tour was just too boring, and we tried to inject as much personality as we could into that tour.

“But at the end of the day, my tour stop was stopping by a rock with snakes, which actually didn’t have any snakes. You know, I couldn’t really juggle with pine cones. So there was only so much you could do. We just lost and it was tough. I didn’t think it was going to be me being fired until the very end as I didn’t do anything terrible”.

Despite being aged just 24, Jonny employs over 30 people in his tutoring business with bases in Kent and Liverpool and hopes to open a new hub in Birmingham soon and is looking for investment from viewers.

He said: “I’m still seeking investment. Our business is going through growth. We still need that investment.

” It is a tutoring company for young people tutoring young people. And that kind of rapport that’s created by young people tutoring young people.

“And our next growth plan would be to employ regional directors to oversee different areas of the UK. So we’re providing a really personalised service for people all around the country. Because often with tutoring companies, you get the London base and then just online everywhere else, and that’s really rubbish if you’re up in York or Liverpool, because you don’t have tutors”.

Jonny has 35 staff working at Achiever Tutoring, mainly in Kent and Liverpool at the moment but hopes to open a Birmingham branch next.

Looking back he said: “My biggest learnings from taking part is, honestly just to go do it, because I spent the whole time thinking ‘ I’ll never get on The Apprentice, I’ll never get in’.

” But you’ve just got to go for it, because chances are you actually might be able to and I think I should have carried that a bit more with me as well on the show. “

* You can find out more about Jonny’s company at https://achievertutoring.co.uk/

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Meghan Markle surprises fans with special message from Prince Harry in emotional post

As Meghan Markle’s new Netflix series was released, the Duchess of Sussex thrilled a number of her loyal supporters.

The former Suits star, 43, surprised some of her most dedicated fans who had gathered to be among the first to watch the eight-part series titled With Love, Meghan. The sweet moment was captured and shared on Archewell Sussex’s Instagram page.

Meghan was seen embracing her fans in a number of images as she beamed alongside them for the photographs. She was also surprised by the group with a gift of her own as she accepted a bag of mementoes from her fans.

In one image, Meghan was seen crouched down as she spoke to some of her followers. The snap, shared on the Archewell Sussex Instagram page, was captioned: “The girls that have supported me for nearly a decade”! The caption for the upload read: “The Duchess of Sussex delighted some of her most dedicated fans and supporters with a special surprise last night in New York. No one deserves this moment more than these OG The Tig ladies”!

Meghan Markle with a number of her fans

The post continued: “Meghan made a heartfelt appearance at an exclusive event ahead of the premiere of her new Netflix series, With Love, Meghan. The evening was filled with Tiganello wine, friendship bracelets, warm embraces, tattoos, and a special message from Archie, Lili, and Harry”.

Fans were quick to share their love in the comments section with one user saying the “love what ur doing”. Another added: “Having just watched the first episode all I can say is so well done. I wish I was Daniel making candles, cake decorating, pasta &amp, tea. The incredible view. It’s spectacular show and I highly recommend”.

Meghan surprised her fans
Meghan surprised her fans (Instagram/archewell_sussex_)
Meghan Markle
She appeared to enjoy the meeting (Instagram/archewell_sussex_)

Many fans have already called for a second series of the show. The former actress shows off her cooking and hostess skills in the production and many have compared her to Nigella Lawson.

However, it wasn’t all smooth sailing for Meghan, with the show quickly slipping out of the streaming giant’s top 10 ratings. Meghan and Prince Harry stepped away from royal duties and left the UK for Los Angeles in January 2020. Meghan spoke about the big move during the show, saying: “I just want to raise a glass to you guys. This feels like a new chapter that I’m so excited that I’m able to share and I’ve been able to learn from all of you”.

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Liam Payne’s pal makes startling claim about singer’s family after his lawsuit against star’s dad

Rogelio Nores has claimed he has had “more support” from Liam Payne’s family over the past few months than people would think.

The US-born businessman was a pal of the former One Direction star and told last month his appeal against a manslaughter charge over Liam’s October 16 drink and drug-fuelled hotel plunge death had been successful.

At the weekend, Liam’s family released a statement saying they accepted a Buenos Aires Court of Appeal’s decision to drop charges against Nores and two workers at the CasaSur Palermo Hotel also accused of manslaughter by a lower court judge late last December.

The entrepreneur had already revealed in a first interview with Argentinian media at the start of the week that he had consistently refused his pal’s requests for drugs and insisted no-one could have envisaged the singer would die the way he did. Now, in another interview, Nores denied claims his relationship with Liam’s family had dropped despite the hotel tragedy and a separate £8.1 million defamation lawsuit he has launched against the musician’s grieving dad Geoff. The legal case was filed over claims he made “false” statements to Argentinian prosecutors.

Liam Payne with Nores (Snapchat)

Nores told Argentinian news outlet Todo Noticias in an interview thought to have been recorded earlier this week: “Liam’s family wrote to us this morning, they called us to confirm what had already been said publicly which is they accept and agree with the latest court decision which is very conclusive and says not only that I didn’t do anything wrong but also says I put a lot of effort into trying to avoid certain things happening. During this period, this process, I had a lot more support from Liam’s family than people think”.

Nores also claimed he had understood the reaction of some fans who turned on him after the singer’s shock death. He told the publication: “The truth is that Liam’s fans are in great pain because he was a much-loved man. It’s what we all feel. It’s logical to be in pain and miss Liam. It happens to all of us in Iife. It’s a very human reaction, when you lose something you’re not going to have anymore, to not understand the world.

He added:” It was very difficult for me too because Liam was my friend and I was left devastated knowing that I wasn’t going to see him anymore. You get angry with him, you get angry with the world, you try to look for a person to blame. I think they were looking for an explanation which is what all of us were doing. The truth is that life when it comes to these things is not fair. “

Nores had been accused by prosecutors of being Liam’s representative and failing in his duty of care towards him before the appeal court judges accepted his defence lawyer’s fierce rebuttal of the claims, said:” I never tried drugs in my life and I don’t drink alcohol. I didn’t have experience of people suffering addictions, I learnt with Liam. He had 10 hard years and we all tried to help him. You do what you can as a friend and we had 40 million chats with his dad and when I was living with him for two and a half months in the same house. We all tried to help him, but at the end of the day the decision was Liam’s. “

His latest interview comes after Liam’s family seemingly indicated they won’t appeal the latest court ruling resulting in his friend and the two hotel workers being told they are in the clear. It is understood they could have launched a private appeal through Buenos Aires law firm Marval O’Farrell Mairal which was reportedly acting on their behalf.

Public prosecutors representing the Argentinian state said last month they were considering an appeal but have yet to announce their definitive decision.

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David Hasselhoff’s rocky romances from messy Pamela divorce to age-gap love

David Hasselhoff, the iconic “Baywatch” and “Knight Rider” star, has been in the spotlight for decades, not just for his acting career but also for his eventful love life. From highly publicised breakups to a significant age-gap romance, Hasselhoff’s relationships have been anything but smooth sailing.

Former Baywatch star and Hasselhoff’s ex-wife Pamela Bach was found dead at home after family “hadn’t heard from her in days” on Wednesday. It’s reported family members has gone to check on her at her Los Angeles home after not hearing from her.

They are said to have called police at around 10pm. TMZ reports Pamela died by suicide but didn’t leave a note. It’s reported a gun was found near her body. Here, we take a look back at Hasselhoff’s past relationships, including his rocky romance with Pamela Bach.

Taylor Hasselhoff, Pamela Bach, David Hasselhoff, and Hayley Hasselloff
Hasselhoff shares two daughters with ex-wife Pamela (Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images)
(Getty Images)

First marriage to Catherine Hickland

Hasselhoff’s first marriage was to actress Catherine Hickland in 1984. Hickland, known for her work in soap operas like One Life to Live, was a rising star at the time.

The couple seemed like the perfect Hollywood pair, but their marriage ultimately ended in divorce in 1989. Though their split was relatively amicable compared to his later breakups, it marked the beginning of Hasselhoff’s turbulent romantic history.

Tumultuous relationship with Pamela Bach

Not long after his first marriage ended, Hasselhoff found love again with actress Pamela Bach. The two tied the knot in 1989 and went on to have two daughters, Taylor and Hayley.

For nearly two decades, they were considered one of Hollywood’s power couples. However, their relationship took a turn for the worse, and their 2006 divorce was anything but friendly.

The legal battle that ensued was filled with accusations, including claims of substance abuse and emotional distress. A video of Hasselhoff drunkenly eating a burger led to him temporarily losing visitation privileges with his daughters, but they were restored after two weeks

The actor acknowledged the video, shot by one of his daughters, showed him during an alcohol relapse but he denied abuse allegations at the time. The messy divorce led to a prolonged custody battle, with both parties airing their grievances publicly.

David Hasselhoff (R) and his partner Hayley Roberts pose at the 'Baywatch' Photo Call
David Hasselhoff is now married to Hayley Roberts (Getty)

Hayley Roberts and the age-gap romance

After the painful split from Bach, Hasselhoff took his time before diving into another serious relationship. In 2011, he met Welsh model Hayley Roberts, who was 27 years his junior.

Their romance began when Hayley, a fan of the star, asked for a picture with him while he was filming Britain’s Got Talent. Sparks flew, and the two soon became an item.

Despite skepticism due to their age difference, Hasselhoff and Hayley’s love story proved to be enduring. He proposed in 2016, and the couple tied the knot in an intimate ceremony in Italy in 2018. The actor later revealed that he hesitated before popping the question, worrying about their age gap.

However, Roberts reassured him that their connection mattered more than numbers. Originally from Cardiff in Wales, Hayley won over his daughters from his previous marriage to Pamela.

When the two got engaged, Hasselhoff told Hello! that his daughters were happy for him.

“I told my girls what I was going to do and they were both really supportive”, he said. “It’s tough. No one wants to see their parents split up. But they love Hayley and they’re just happy for me”.

‘My twins had MCDA like Jesy Nelson – doctors gave me a disturbing dilemma’

A mum of triplets who had the same life-threatening condition as Jesy Nelson during her pregnancy faced a heartbreaking question from doctors.

Leila Green, 41, from Beckenham, London, welcomed her triplets prematurely at 33 weeks with her husband, James, 44, following a C-section and after conceiving naturally. The arrival of their sons Jerry, Frankie and Rafa was an overwhelming sense of joy and relief for the couple, who had previously gone through two miscarriages.

During Leila’s pregnancy with triplets, she was told she had Monochorionic, Diamniotic (MCDA), meaning that two of her babies, her identical boys Jerry and Frankie, shared a placenta but were each in their own amniotic sacs. Meanwhile, the third baby, Rafa, who is non-identical, had his own placenta and sac. Twins sharing a placenta are at risk of restricting fetal growth, and it can increase the risk of premature birth.

Jesy Nelson and Zion Foster
Jesy Nelson opened up about her pregnancy in a teary video
Jesy Nelson
Fans have flooded to support the former Little Mix singer (Instagram/jesynelson)

The condition is rare, but just this week, Little Mix star Jesy Nelson revealed that she had MCDA and was facing complications during pregnancy with her identical twins. In an emotional Instagram video with her partner Zion Foster, Jesy heartbreakingly said she was at risk of losing one or both of her unborn twins due to MCDA, also known as Mono/Di twins for short.

Jesy explained to her followers: “The type of twins we are having are called Mono/Di twins, and with that, so normally, most twins will have two placentas that they feed off of. But when you have Mono/Di twins, that means your twins live off one placenta, which can lead to lots of complications.

” One of them being one baby might take all the nutrients, the other might, which is really awful to say, but could lead to both babies dying and at the moment, I am currently pre-stage TTTS, which is twin to twin transfusion, and I’m being monitored very closely. “

Leila knows all too well the overwhelming worry that comes with MCDA as she faced the devastating question from doctors about whether to abort one of her triplets. She told the Mirror:” I had a panic attack in our anomaly scan, which lasted three hours as I was so desperate for them to tell me my babies were OK, and they wouldn’t say anything the consultant came in at the end.

“When they were running through the risk of MCDA, all these horrendous scenarios, they also offered selective reduction, which is where you’re going to abort one of them in the hope that then gives the other two a better chance.

” I found this whole conversation really upsetting, as many mums do, especially as I had buried babies before. Now, to have doctors saying that you might get a better outcome for two of them to terminate one, but even then, there’s a risk that you’ll miscarry all of them if you terminate one, it didn’t make sense to me. “

Triplets Jerry, Frankie and Rafa born at 33 weeks
Triplets Jerry, Frankie and Rafa all at home after being born at 33 weeks (Handout)

She continued:” I understand the doctors have got to tell you the downside and the risk, but when you’re so emotionally charged and if you’ve been through loss already, you’re sensitive to these kinds of conversations, and you just want to try and get through one day at a time. “

Those with MCDA can get twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS), which is what Jesy is experiencing, along with growth restrictions and further complications in the pregnancy. Leila said doctors were more concerned about the identical babies because they were sharing a nutrient supply.

Offering advice to Jesy following her own worrying experience with MCDA, Leila said:” Just take it one day at a time. Don’t waste energy on working out what you’d do in disaster scenarios that may never come to fruition. “

She added:” Stay positive. Don’t let other people project their fear onto you – friends, family, and doctors might start panicking or fearing the worst, but I found it useful to say to them, ‘ Right now, I have healthy babies’. Do whatever helps you stay calm – I used yoga and meditation, but whatever helps you cope with the inevitable stress. “

On dealing with MCDA throughout her pregnancy, Leila said:” MCDA was something I was nervous about. I was scanned every two weeks, from the middle point of my pregnancy onwards, because they wanted to keep on top of this to make sure there were no dangers creeping up and that all of the babies were continuing to grow.

Leila with her triplets
Two of Leila’s triplets are identical (Handout)
 Leila and James at the hospital
Leila and James at the hospital

“Every time we had a scan, they would print us reports that would give us the sizes of different parts of the baby’s bodies. I was always wanting to make sure that they were all roughly the same, because I knew that once there started to be a discrepancy, that could spell disaster, so it was something we kept an eye on”.

Leila welcomed her triplet boys via a C-section on July 8, 2022. After four weeks in hospital for Frankie and Rafa and five weeks for Jerry, they were all able to go home and have since flourished into healthy two-year-olds.

Following her experience with motherhood, Leila founded the ‘ F*** Mum Guilt Movement ‘ – a free community of mums saying ‘ yes ‘ to looking after themselves and ‘ no ‘ to society’s expectations.

For support, call 0800 138 0509 (Mon-Fri 10am-1pm and 7pm-10pm) or complete the Ask Twinline form online. The best way to get a quick response is to call. Emails will be responded to within three working days.