Exclusive: 'Strictly' stars Kristina and Joe on her health scare and their plans for children

Kristina Rihanoff, the Russian blonde who seduced former World Champion boxer Joe Calzaghe during the last series of Strictly Come Dancing, has told HELLO! magazine how the Welshman has a softer side, and nursed her through a secret health scare earlier this year.



The professional dancer, who this series is partnered with DJ Goldie, had an operation to remove a benign ovarian cyst. 

“It was a really scary experience because I want to have children one day,” she told HELLO!magazine, as she and Joe posed for an exclusive photoshoot at their home in Wales. 

The health problem occurred in the early days of her relationship with Joe, and she admitted she was unsure of how he would react. 

“It’s one of those things that can test a relationship,” said the Latin and ballroom dancer who was married to American dancer Brian Jolly for five years and had relationships with Corky Ballas, a professional dancer on US show Dancing With The Stars, and her Strictly co-star Vincent Simone.

Joe, however, was a tower of strength. “Joe was just there for me,” said Kristina. 

“He took me to the hospital, brought me back to Wales, was around me 24/7, feeding me, helping me, and that’s when I was just taken so deeply by how caring he is. 

Joe, who has two sons with his ex-wife Mandy, and previously dated model Jo-Emma Larvin for five years, feels his relationship with Kristina is special. 

“She’s [Kristina] the person that I’ve gelled with most out of anybody in my life. 

Oil's well with Joe and Kristina: Tender moments prove Calzaghe is still in love with his dance queen

Their nine-month relationship was said to be on the ropes – but boxing champion Joe Calzaghe and ballroom dancer Kristina Rihanoff looked very much an item while on holiday in Spain last week.

In fact the couple, who met on BBC1’s Strictly Come Dancing, even sparked rumours of an engagement when the Siberian-born dancer was spotted with a ring on the fourth finger of her left hand.

They certainly seemed to have renewed their passion during the luxury break at a five-star Marbella hotel, sharing a kiss by the pool and tenderly rubbing suntan oil on to each other’s bodies.

But for most of their romantic getaway, the lotion would not have been necessary, thanks to poor weather on the Costa Del Sol.

They were forced to spend most of their time in the hotel spa, but did get the chance to top up their tans when the sun emerged for a few hours one afternoon.

One onlooker said the couple ‘could hardly take their hands off each other. They were every inch the love birds, and looked very happy together’.

Strictly single: The curse of Come Dancing KOs Joe Calzaghe's five-year romance

They call it the Curse of Strictly Come Dancing.A succession of contestants have split from their spouses or faced difficult questions about their private life.Now it seems Joe Calzaghe is the latest entrant to fall under the curse's powersThe boxer and his partner Jo-Emma Larvin, 28, have ended their relationship after a series of rows.

A spokesperson told MailOnline: 'We can confirm that Joe and Jo-Emma split earlier this month. They remain supportive of each other.'A family friend is quoted in the Sun as saying: 'It was a very difficult decision for them both but their relationship has ended and Joe is a single man.'Jo-Emma was very upset, but knew it was the right thing to do. They don't have kids and have had a wonderful five years together.'They were beginning to argue over silly things at home and Joe had underestimated how the pace of things once he left the ring would affect home life. He was finding it boring.'It is not the first time a relationship has disintegrated after a contestant has signed up for Strictly Come Dancing.

In the first series in 2004, there were persistent rumours that Natasha Kaplinsky and dance partner Brendan Cole were having an affair off screen.

The pair looked increasingly intimate and passionate when performing together on the show, and were frequently photographed together.

Both denied the affair but the newsreader ended her 12-year relationship and Cole was dumped by his fiancee and fellow dancer Camilla Dallerup soon after.

The 2007 runner-up Matt Di Angelo began dating dance partner Falvia Cacace who had been a relationship with fellow dancer Vincent Simone at the time.

Kristina Rihanoff, who is partnering Calzaghe this year, had an affair with fellow dancer Mr Simone in 2008 causing his pregnant girlfriend Susan Duddy to leave him.

A source on the show said: ‘The thing about Strictly is that you are putting in long hours, and you are performing passionate dances.

'There is a lot of body contact, a lot of touching in some quite intimate places. The costumes are sexy, the professional dancers are in remarkable shape. Sometimes these things overflow after the cameras have stopped. It is human nature.’