Strictly Come Dancing star Kristina Rihanoff and her fiancé Ben Cohen are struggling with significant financial difficulties, to the point where they are "fighting not to lose everything," including their relationship, a court has heard.
Former rugby player Cohen made this revelation during a court appearance with the Russian dancer after she was found driving her £30,000 Audi Q3 without insurance.
The pair were dance partners on the 11th series of the BBC show in 2013. Cohen separated from his then-wife, Abbie Blayney Cohen, the following year, and their divorce was finalised in 2016.
Rihanoff, who got engaged to Cohen in 2022, avoided a driving ban despite accumulating 12 penalty points, after the court accepted her plea of "exceptional hardship."
During the hearing at Northampton Crown Court, it was revealed that the former Strictly pro relies on her car to travel to ballroom judging events across the country and to take her two daughters to school.
Additionally, she frequently drives her stepdaughter to hospital for treatment for a heart condition.
Rihanoff, who appeared in court under her legal name, Kristina Pchenitchnykh, was appealing the conviction after being caught driving her 72-plate Audi in Northampton in April.
The court also heard that she and Cohen, who testified on her behalf, have faced financial struggles after setting up several businesses, including a yoga studio, which were heavily impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic.
"I wake up every day fighting not to lose everything—my cars, my house, and my relationship. I’m deeply overdrawn," Cohen told the court.
When asked about the strains on their relationship, he replied: “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.”
It was reported that Rihanoff wept throughout the hearing, eventually needing to leave the courtroom. When she returned, she was wrapped in a white blanket, dabbing her eyes with a tissue.
During the proceedings, Cohen took responsibility for arranging the couple's car insurance. He explained that in late February, after receiving a £7,500 quote from Aviva, he searched online for more affordable options. On February 22, he secured a policy with Dial Direct, paying by monthly direct debit.
In March, while the former sports star was abroad, he received a text from Dial Direct, warning that his insurance would be cancelled unless he provided his no-claims details.
Since Cohen didn’t have a no-claims bonus, he didn’t respond, leading to the policy being cancelled in March.
A month later, on April 14, Rihanoff was stopped in Northampton town centre for driving without insurance. The court heard that when the police informed Cohen, he immediately attempted to secure a new policy with the same company.
When asked if he was aware on April 14 that the insurance policy had been canceled, Ben Cohen responded, "I 100 percent did not know the policy would be canceled because the no-claims information they were asking for wasn’t relevant to me."
He added: "I didn’t know until I got that call from Kristina. I was like, ‘What are you talking about?’"
Cohen also admitted he hadn't informed Rihanoff about the cancellation of the insurance and also acknowledged that he didn't check the dates of her previous speeding offenses before taking out the policy.
The judge dismissed Rihanoff's appeal but expressed sympathy for her situation and emphasised that the former BBC star should have ensured she was insured before driving.
She was ordered to pay £357 in appeal costs.
