Strictly Come Dancing‘s Kristina Rihanoff and her partner Ben Cohen are reportedly battling severe financial woes that are threatening their home and relationship, a court has been told.
Ben, 45, stood by former Strictly star Kristina, 46, in Northampton Crown Court after she was caught driving her £30,000 Audi Q3 without valid insurance.
The dancer, who faced the court under her birth name Kristina Pchenitchnykh, was pulled over while driving her 72-plate Audi in Horsemarket, Northampton, on April 4. Ben admitted to the court that he had neglected a text from his insurance company, which contributed to the situation.
Despite receiving six points on her licence, the Russian dancer risked a driving ban as she had accumulated a total of 12 penalty points. She appeared in court on Friday (September 6) to challenge the conviction for uninsured driving, with her husband testifying on her behalf.
The duo, who became an item after being paired on the 11th series of Strictly in 2013, resulting in Ben leaving his wife Abbie Bray, have since embarked on several business ventures, including a Yoga studio, all of which have suffered due to the pandemic.
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Ben expressed his daily struggle in court, 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.”
He also opened up about the pressure on his relationship with Kristina, admitting: “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.”
The former rugby player added: “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.”
Kristina was visibly upset throughout the hearing, having to leave the courtroom as she felt unwell. She spent the remainder of the hearing wrapped in a white blanket, dabbing her eyes with a tissue.
In court, the mum-of-one expressed a crucial need to drive in order to travel around judging ballroom competitions, a job that brings in £2,000 a month. She also mentioned the necessity of driving their children to school.
Ben, who shares twin girls with his ex-wife, acknowledged his role as the sole individual sourcing car insurance for the couple. The court learned about his quest for more affordable car insurance near the end of February after Aviva quoted an eye-watering £7,500.
He recounted how he opted for a policy with Dial Direct on February 22, arranging a monthly direct debit payment. However, during an overseas trip in March, he received a text from Dial Direct threatening to cancel his coverage if he failed to supply them with proof of his no claims history.
Realising he did not possess a no claims bonus, Ben did not revert to the company with any details, leading to the cancellation of his insurance policy on March 7. After Kristina was caught driving without insurance in Northampton’s town centre, Ben hastily attempted to secure a new policy with the same insurer.
He vehemently denied any prior knowledge of the cancellation during the court proceedings, stating: “I 100 per cent did not know that policy would be cancelled because the no claims information they’d been asking for wasn’t relevant to me.”
The athlete recounted his confusion upon receiving a call from Kristina, saying: “I didn’t know until I got that call from Kristina then I was (saying) ‘what are you on about?'”.
Despite his defence, he conceded that he had failed to inform Kristina of the insurance lapse and also hadn’t inquired about her past speeding incidents before initiating the policy.
Recorder Louise Cox dismissed Kristina’s appeal but expressed her “every sympathy” towards her situation. Cox firmly stated: “We find you had an honest belief you were insured but don’t accept that belief was reasonable grounds to account for your lack of insurance.”
She emphasized that Kristina should have verified her insurance status before taking the wheel. Consequently, she was slapped with a £357 bill for appeal costs.