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Kristina Rihanoff nailed retro chic as she departed her engagement party with her fiancé Ben Cohen on Saturday night in London.
The former Strictly pro, 45, commanded attention in a dazzling gold midi dress featuring a white fur trim as she clutched a bag of gifts.
She added inches to her enviable frame with a pair of gold heels and accessorised her look with dazzling drop earrings.
The Russian dancer’s blonde tresses were swept behind her shoulders by the wind and she had flawlessly applied a full face of make-up.
Held at the five-star Andaz Hotel on Liverpool Street, celebrity attendees included Sinitta, Gillian McKeith and Lizzie Cundy.
Emerging: Kristina Rihanoff nailed retro chic as she departed her engagement party with her fiancé Ben Cohen on Saturday night in London
Ben recently said his relationship with Kristina has been ‘strengthened’ by ‘difficult times in business’ ahead of their wedding.
Former Rugby star Ben, 44, fell in love with the ballroom pro after they were partnered up on the 2013 series of Strictly, despite Ben being married at the time.
The couple, who share daughter Mila, six, are now looking forward to a lavish wedding in Tuscany or Oxfordshire, after years of non stop work.
He told Hello! Magazine: ‘Over the last nine years we’ve been through the wringer’.
‘To support each other through difficult times in business is the ultimate test in a relationship. I’ve watched her flourish, from her becoming a mum to growing as a businesswoman, and it has strengthened our bond.’
They told the magazine that they plan to make the big day a family affair with Mila and Ben’s twin daughter from a previous relationship, Harriette and Isabelle, 15, will as bridesmaids.
Kristina said: ‘Mila can’t wait, She’s already told me what she’s going to wear. ‘I want this kind of dress, Mummy, with a long train like you will have,’ she tells me. She certainly knows her own mind.’
It comes after the pair revealed they gotten engaged during a sun-soaked Maldives getaway last year.
Looking good: The former Strictly pro, 45, commanded attention in a dazzling gold midi dress featuring a white fur trim as she clutched a bag of gifts
Out of this world: She added inches to her enviable frame with a pair of gold heels and accessorised her look with dazzling drop earrings
Star-studded: Held at the five-star Andaz Hotel on Liverpool Street, celebrity attendees included Sinitta, Gillian McKeith and Lizzie Cundy
Wow! The Russian dancer’s blonde tresses were swept behind her shoulders by the wind and she had flawlessly applied a full face of make-up
Releasing a picture of the big moment, Kristina said Ben getting down on one knee was ‘the biggest surprise of my life’.
They had taken a boat trip to a neighbouring island, when Kristina saw a heart made up of lit lanterns and the words ‘Will you marry me?’ written in the sand.
Ben and Kristina struggled during the pandemic, with their SooYoga holistic wellbeing business suffering due to lockdown.
They previously revealed that they had not gotten any financial support from the government at the time, meaning their mental health also took a hit.
Referring to the problems they encountered, Kristina said: ‘It’s easy to love someone when everything’s rosy but it’s a different story when life becomes a challenge.’
Ben added: ‘Every love story has its honeymoon period but that eventually goes.
‘Love has different meanings and for me, that’s a relationship with a partner who’s been through difficult times with me and together we move forward.
‘She’s the person I want in my life forever.’
Gang: Kristina and Ben chatted away with a pal, who looked dapper in a burgundy suit
Chatting: The trio appeared to be in deep conversation
Trio: They all seemed to be in high spirits
Woah! Kristina caused onlookers to gawk and point as she departed the swanky establishment
Last year Strictly’s Claudia Winkleman was forced to issue a grovelling apology to to the couple after falsely claiming their relationship began while they were on the show.
It was revealed in Richard Eden’s Eden Confidential column that Claudia had apologised after saying, ‘The couple I knew had got together were Ben and Kristina,’ while filming The Lateish Show with Mo Gilligan on Channel 4 at Television Centre.
Kristina, who was born in Vladivostok, Russia, and Cohen have always insisted that their affair did not begin until the year after he took part in Strictly.
After she learned of what she described as Claudia’s ‘lies’ on the Channel 4 show, she threatened to take legal action and contacted the 50-year-old presenter.
As a result, the host made a grovelling apology to her and Ben, telling them: ‘[I] am so, so sorry.’ In a message seen by the column, she explained: ‘I thought the question was about who has found long-time 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].’
Departure: Sinitta looked chic in a black dress as she exited the venue too
Gorgeous: The singer put on a show-stopping display as she hit the streets of London
Star: Gillian wrapped up in a black coat amid the wintery weater
Chilly? The former I’m A Celebrity campmate looked great after a night of partying
Incredible: Lizzie Cundy looked sensational in a figure-hugging neon green dress
She continued: ‘So sorry, I’m a moron. It was a two-second moment.’
Ben’s ex-wife Abby has been vocal about the betrayal she went through with Ben.
Having split from him in 2014, she told The Sun On Sunday a year after their split: ‘My husband, who I was with for 23 years, unconditionally loved and was completely loyal to in every respect, has left me for a f**king Russian dancer.
‘The last two years have been the most traumatic thing to ever happen to me. He’s done the dirty on me. I want people to know.
I don’t want to cause stress or further damage by stirring things up. But I’m just trying to recover from what has been the most horrific time of my life.’
When Ben split from Abby, he and Kristina denied that they had had an affair, despite being pictured with their arms around one another on the London Underground.
During the summer of 2015 they went to Turkey together but tried to hide this – even taking separate flights to the Turkish resort of Antalya.
What’s in the bag? Kristina will certainly be in for a surprise when she opens her presents
Buddies: She had an exchange with a dapper pal before they went their separate ways
Farewell: Ben hugged a buddy goodbye following the glitzy bash
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