Kristina Rihanoff
Kristina Rihanoff has confirmed that she will not be returning to Strictly Come Dancing due to 'surprise' pregnancy with Ben Cohen Getty

Strictly Come Dancing star and current Celebrity Big Brother contestant Kristina Rihanoff announced to her fellow housemates that she is three months pregnant. It has also emerged that she will leave Strictly permanently.

In an interview with Hello! magazine she conducted prior to going into the CBB house, the 38-year-old stated: "It's a bittersweet situation. I was on Strictly for eight years and I loved the dancing side of it, but I feel relieved because I wasn't happy towards the end. I'm going to miss everyone."

Kristina Rihanoff and Ben Cohen
Kristina Rihanoff and partner Ben Cohen met when they competed on Strictly Come Dancing in 2013 Steve Thorne /Getty Images

The professional ballroom dancer continued to discuss her and Cohen's baby news and admitted that whilst it wasn't necessarily planned, she, and her mother, couldn't be happier. "It was a surprise but I am obviously delighted", she told the publication. "My mother was with me over Christmas and when we found out she put her arms around me and she cried with joy. It is her lifelong dream for me to have a child and it was lovely to see her so happy."

Rihanoff has been dating former rugby star Cohen for nine months. They met when they were partnered together during the 2013 series of the BBC One dancing competition. The pair have always stated that despite meeting almost three years ago, they did not become a couple until Cohen and his then-wife Abby split the following year.

The news of Rihanoff's departure comes just a month after fellow dancer on the show Ola Jordan bid farewell to the series. It was previously alleged that the 33-year-old had quit Strictly because of her loyalty to husband James Jordan. A former professional for the show, James was supposedly sacked in 2014 – though he maintains that he walked out – and it has seemingly caused a continued rift between Jordan and the show's producers.

At the time, an insider told The Sun: "This has been on the cards a while. She's very loyal to James so when he was forced out it left a sour taste."

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