1 week Ago By [email protected] (Kiesha Dosanjh)
She’s been dancing since she was six years old – but after her daughter Milena was born , Russian professional ballroom dancer Kristina Rihanoff feared she’d never perform again. Kristina faced a tough recovery from bladder weakness, pelvic floor numbness, and a significant loss of core strength post-pregnancy, reports OK! It took her eight months to recover, with an upcoming tour adding pressure, leaving her worried about disappointing everyone involved. "It was scary because you think, ‘Am I ever going to dance again?’" the former Strictly Come Dancing star shares.
“At the end of the day, it’s my work, and I love it.” Even with her high fitness levels and dedication to yoga, she struggled to perform basic poses like the plank after childbirth. "I had no sensation of any kind in my pelvic floor area," she reveals.
“I’m very body aware so I was like, ‘What is going on?’ I know my body inside out, I have always trained my body and competed at the professional level with very high endurance training so feeling like I couldn’t engage my core, and I couldn’t engage my pelvic floor, it really freaked me out. I was like, ‘What happened to my body? Where is all of that sensation?’” The physical challenges also impacted Kristina's mental health, although she was grateful to avoid post-natal depression, which affected many in her circle. Nonetheless, the worry about returning to the work she loves weighed heavily on her mind.
"Yes, 100% it affected my mental health," Kristina admitted, highlighting the psychological toll of her postpartum experience. “Very thankfully, I didn’t have post-natal depression, which quite a few people in my circle did have, but I had worries about the work I love. I was like, ‘Well, if this is not gonna get better, then I’m probably not going to be able to dance.
’ So that was all very scary. It’s a scary process of thoughts.” Now, Kristina is partnering with TENA to create a pelvic floor strengthening dance to help women overcome bladder weakness and find the right products to help them until they are back to normal.
"Lots of women I know want to get back to activity after having a child, because you just want to feel kind of normal again. You want to go for that walk, that run, that yoga class..
. If you feel like you can’t control yourself so you shouldn’t go, that adds to depression, that adds to mental health issues, that adds to feeling inadequate and feeling bad about yourself." Since leaving Strictly at the end of 2015, Kristina has set up her own dance school and yoga business in Northampton with her partner Ben Cohen , 46, who she met on the show.
It was a conscious decision to leave the world of TV behind, although she admits she missed the show at first. "I really, really missed it the first couple of years," admits Kristina. "You have a withdrawal.
It was so vibrant and fun working together to make something really cool and amazing. Then you get busy with your life and now I have a dance school which has grown so much. I dance every day with the kids, and I have different ages and levels from ages four and five to adult couples.
I take them to competitions constantly." One student who competes is her eight year old daughter Milena – who she and Ben call Mila. Kristina candidly opened up about how she initially doubted her daughter's interest in ballroom dancing, admitting, "I never thought she would take to ballroom dancing," but her tune changed once her daughter got competitive.
"She didn’t want to do it at first. Then other kids were winning trophies and she was like, ‘I want a trophy too! ’ I was like, ‘Well, you have to learn some dances.’ Then she got into it and loved it.
" Teaching her own child hasn't been without its challenges for Kristina, who reveals, "It’s a very funny dynamic when you teach your own kid, it’s not that easy at all. She’s like, ‘Oh Mummy you are so mean! ’ I’m not mean! It’s challenging but it’s also wonderful as it’s something we have together as our little thing." Last month saw Mila star in Sophie Ellis-Bextor 's new music video—a gig which materialized thanks to being spotted during classes at Kristina's dance school.
"Mila and Matei got cast for that, so we had to go to London and do a few days there with them for the filming," expressed Kristina, sharing her reunion with Sophie on social media. Now, Mila is quickly becoming one to watch in the world of dance, with industry insiders predicting a future spot for her as a Strictly Come Dancing pro. Kristina shares the buzz from colleagues: "It was crazy, because we were in the same ballroom where I’ve done other dance events, and there were even the same producers and choreographers, and everyone was saying, ‘Oh, she’s gonna be on Strictly like you in a few years! ’ I said, ‘We’ll see what happens.
’ Same people, same place, but now it’s my daughter who is dancing! If Strictly exists in 10 years she might as well have a go!" Mila has been competing since she was in the Under Six category, just like her mum, Kristina. However, Kristina believes that extra-curricular activities build character and strength – something she’s had to rely on in both her professional and personal life. She states, "Ballroom dancing or any after-school activities, this is your real school of life.
That’s where you learn teamwork, that’s where you learn about yourself. You learn to lose, you learn to win." Undeniably, 2024 has been a challenging year for Kristina.
After being convicted for driving without insurance , she appealed her conviction and Ben provided evidence to the court stating he was responsible for insuring their cars. He confessed, "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.
" However, Kristina refuses to dwell on the past and is attempting to move past the incident using the mental tools she acquired from her time in the ballroom. "As dancers, we always strive not to focus on problems or issues," Kristina explains. "We look at moving forward and finding solutions.
There are always ups and downs – probably more downs than ups. You just have to keep going and look towards the future. You can’t just sit and dwell on issues.
It’s about learning to move forward, seeing what the future holds, and working towards something happier and better." Kristina also signalled her eagerness for a return to TV screens, on the condition that she takes part in a show which offers her the opportunity to pick up a new skill. “I’m not up for silly shows," Kristina expressed.
"I would rather do something challenging like learning a new skill or doing something crazy, like I’m A Celebrity or Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins . Anything which will challenge me would be great – a personal challenge would be fun." TENA has teamed up with Kristina Rihanoff to create a pelvic floor strengthening dance, designed to empower women who have experienced bladder weakness.
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