Kristina Rihanoff has defended her relationship with Ben Cohen.
The ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ professional has been branded a "home-wrecker" for getting together with the former rugby star – who she was partnered with on the BBC dance contest in 2013 – but she’s now spoken out to insist it wasn’t until he split from wife Abby that they began seeing one another.
She said: "He left his wife a year ago. Recently we started dating but we’re allowed to see each other as two single people.
"I don’t know why I’m always attacked. I am a hardworking, self-made person. I support five people in my family in Russia."
The 37-year-old beauty – who previously dated boxer Joe Calzaghe after they competed on the show together in 2009 – also claimed it’s unfair that none of the other professionals are criticised for their relationships.
She told the Daily Mirror newspaper: "It is such double standards.
"Pasha [Kovalev] and Rachel [Riley] got together after the show but everyone believed them when they said they were just friends.
"Flavia [Cacace] had three relationships. Janette [Manrara] was with Pasha, Artem [Chigvintsev] and now Aljaz Â[Skorjanec] – but I am the horrible one."
Kristina Rihanoff defends relationship with Ben Cohen
