Strictly cursed! Claudia sorry for affair claim
Strictly’S claudia Winkleman is used to disarming even the biggest prima donnas with her ditzy charm, but she’s struggling to placate Kristina rihanoff, a former dancer on the show.
that’s because the Strictly co- host has enraged rihanoff by publicly claiming that she and England rugby star Ben cohen became romantically involved while they were partnered on the show in 2013.
‘the couple i knew had got together were Ben and Kristina,’ she declared on stage at television centre in West london.
She made the comment on Monday while recording tonight’s edition of the lateish Show with Mo Gilligan on channel 4, on which she’s a guest.
rihanoff, 44, who was born in Vladivostok, russia, and cohen, 43, have always insisted that their affair did not begin until the year after he took part in Strictly.
the World cup winner had been married to his wife Abby for 11 years. the couple, who have twin teenage girls, divorced in 2016. rihanoff and cohen have since had a daughter together.
After rihanoff learned of what she described as Winkleman’s ‘lies’ on the channel 4 show, she threatened to take legal action and contacted the 50-year-old presenter.
As a result, Winkleman made a grovelling apology to her and cohen, telling
them: ‘[i] am so, so sorry.’ in a message seen by this column, she explained: ‘i thought the question was about who has found longtime love [via Strictly].
‘i said, “Ben and Kristina”, excitedly, and then i said Stacey and Kevin [referring to tV presenter Stacey Dooley and former Strictly pro Kevin clifton, who have been dating since 2019, after being paired together on the show in 2018].’
She continued: ‘So sorry, i’m a moron. it was a twosecond moment.’
A channel 4 spokesman failed to respond to requests for comment, so it will be fascinating to see whether Winkleman’s remarks are cut from tonight’s show.