- Do YOU have a story? Email tips@dailymail.com
Retired rugby international Ben Cohen told a court that her is fighting to save his family home and his relationship with professional dancer Kristina Rihanoff after she was caught driving without insurance.
Rihanoff, a former Strictly Come Dancing star, was caught behind the wheel of her 72-plate Audi Q3 in Horsemarket, Northampton, on April 4.
Appearing at Northampton Crown Court under the name Kristina Pchenitchnykh, the Russian ballroom specialist sobbed throughout Friday’s proceedings and at one point asked to leave the room because she ‘felt sick.’
Mother-of-one Rihanoff, 46, had six points added to her license, but faced a potential driving ban after amassing 12 penalty points, reports the Northamptonshire Telegraph.
During Friday’s appeal, long-term partner Cohen – appearing as her witness – admitted to overlooking a text message from his insurance company prior to the incident.
Retired rugby international Ben Cohen told a court that her is fighting to save his family home and his relationship with professional dancer Kristina Rihanoff after she was caught driving without insurance
The ex-rugby player – grandson of late World Cup winning footballer George Cohen – admitted he was responsible for insuring both their vehicles, and had been looking for a cheaper deal from February after being given a £7,500 quote by Aviva.
He subsequently opted for a new policy with Dial Direct, to whom he was to make monthly direct debit payments, on February 22.
Addressing the overlooked text, Cohen admitted he was overseas when Dial Direct contacted him to warn his insurance would be cancelled unless he sent them his no claim details.
When asked by Rihanoff’s barrister, Michael Mulkerrins, if perceived difficulties in his relationship with Rihanoff had affected their finances, Cohen, 45, admitted some of their shared business interests – among them a local yoga studio – had been damaged by the coronavirus pandemic.
He told the court: ‘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 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.
‘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.’
***
Read more at DailyMail.co.uk