Kristina: “After an abusive childhood, being a mum has changed my life”
Former Strictly star Kristina Rihanoff talks to Closer about how having a baby has helped her deal with her traumatic past – and why she never wanted to be famous
She’s the standout star who S attracted as much attention for her personal life as she did her dancing skills during her eight-year “roller-coaster” stint as a professional on Strictly Come Dancing.
Dubbed the “Siberian siren” and painted as a feisty man-eater, Kristina Rihanoff made headlines for her romances with celebrity dance partners Joe Calzaghe in 2009, and former rugby star Ben Cohen in 2013 – with whom she welcomed her first child, Milena, last summer.
But in a candid chat with Closer, Kristina opens up about her traumatic childhood growing up in the troubled Soviet Union, and talks about how becoming a mother has helped her deal with her demons from the past.
Kristina says: “My parents were often violent towards each other, always arguing and being verbally aggressive. From about the age of 10, I saw my mum being very unhappy in her relationship and it drove me away from home and towards dance school. That’s where I felt comfortable. The dance floor became my safe zone. A lot was going on in Russia at that time – the Soviet Union was collapsing, families were losing their jobs and their savings, and kids were going off the rails. But dancing kept me happy and away from trouble.”
FEELING ASHAMED
After rising up the ranks of the dancing world and finding fame on Strictly, Kristina began working with Dot Com Children’s Foundation – who visit schools in deprived areas of the UK to help kids who might be suffering in silence with difficult family situations. She says it was her own rocky upbringing that drew her to the cause. Kristina explains: “I was that child who felt no one really cared what happened to me, and was ashamed to tell anyone what was happening at home. Now we go and do motivational talks with children, and tell them they can dream
as big as they want – that if you work hard, you can still achieve your goals.
“When kids are born into tough situations, like a broken home or a family with drug or alcohol problems, things can seem bleak – but this programme helps them to grow into confident individuals who believe they can do anything they want.”
Kristina, 39, who has previously admitted that her tough upbringing had led her to “grow up with an idea that any man in your life will always let you down” readily admits that she’s now at her happiest, having settled down with Ben, 39, and their 14-month-old daughter.
The pair have been making headlines since being paired up on Strictly in 2013, and Kristina was forced to deny she had anything to do with the breakdown of his 11-year marriage to childhood sweetheart Abby – with whom he shares twin daughters Isabelle and Harriette, nine.
Kristina and Ben went public with their romance in July 2015, and she quit the show in January 2016.
The star then sensationally announced she was pregnant while in the Celebrity Big Brother house just six months later.
FINDING HER PASSION
Kristina says: “I never wanted to be famous and on TV, I trained to be a dancer because it was my passion, and I was lucky to work my way up to a hugely successful show. But I never thought that my private life was going to be open for everyone to discuss.”
She already knew that it was time to leave Strictly, saying it had been “emotionally, physically and mentally exhausting,” and believes that “it must have been brewing in the universe” that she was finally ready to change her life and then fell pregnant.
Kristina says: “Being on Strictly was a huge part of my life, but having a family has changed me completely. So many things don’t bother me any more.
“I don’t think about my looks or my weight, it’s just non-existent in my brain. I’ll always look after myself because it keeps me happy and I want to be healthy, but I want to be healthy for my child. Being a mum is the best transformation that could have happened to me.”
‘I never really wanted to be famous and on TV’