Ben Cohen opens up about his daughter Isabelle needing a pacemaker while balancing family and financial struggles in Northamptonshire

Former rugby star Ben Cohen has shared the emotional reality his family is facing as his daughter, Isabelle, prepares to have a pacemaker fitted.

Speaking on Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins, the 47-year-old father described the past year and a half as “horrendous,” dealing with family, personal, and financial challenges while trying to stay strong for his children.

A Father Trying to Stay Strong

Ben is father to twins Isabelle and Harriet from his 13-year marriage to Abby Cohen, and a nine-year-old daughter, Milena, with Kristina Rihanoff.

In tense scenes from the show, he admits the heart procedure for Isabelle has been hard to process.

“How do you deal with it? You be strong for your daughter, you have to be that pillar of strength,” he said, adding that it often means neglecting his own needs.

While he didn’t disclose the specifics of Isabelle’s condition, a pacemaker is a small electronic device that helps regulate an irregular or slow heartbeat.

It improves quality of life by sending electrical impulses to the heart to maintain a safe rhythm.

A Letter to His Daughter

During the program, Ben wrote a heartfelt letter to Isabelle, praising her courage in facing her diagnosis.

He described the emotional weight of his life, saying that personal struggles often “take the lid off the can” and bring emotions flooding back.

His openness on the show reveals a side of him the public rarely sees, beyond his public persona as a sports star.

Behind the Celebrity SAS Challenge

Despite Ben’s tendency to hide his feelings, SAS officer Billy Billingham saw through his front.

Billingham compared the show’s intense challenges to “putting a band aid over a gunshot wound,” highlighting how the program forces participants to confront physical and emotional pressures simultaneously.

The Loss of His Father

Ben also reflected on the death of his father, Peter Cohen, the brother of 1966 World Cup-winner George Cohen.

Peter died from a blood clot a month after being attacked in his Northampton nightclub in 2000 while trying to break up a brawl.

The loss, Ben says, left a deep and lasting hole in his life.

Rekindled Romance and Financial Struggles

Ben’s stint on Celebrity SAS comes amid reports that he and Kristina Rihanoff have rekindled their relationship.

The couple poured their energy into a yoga and fitness business, Soo Yoga Group, but it suffered heavily during the Covid pandemic, leaving them with substantial financial challenges.

Court documents revealed the struggles they faced, including overdrawn accounts, business debts, and even issues with car insurance.

Ben described the situation bluntly: “I get up every day and I fight not to lose everything – to lose my cars and my house and my relationship.”

The financial strain added yet another layer of pressure on top of personal challenges and family responsibilities.

Business Setbacks and Moving On

Records show Soo Yoga Group Ltd was nearly £500,000 in debt by mid-2022, and Ben has since resigned as a director.

Kristina remains the sole director, and other ventures linked to the couple have also faced difficulties.

Their £1.75 million home in Northamptonshire was put on the market as part of navigating these challenges.

Balancing Family, Career, and Public Life

Through all of this, Ben is trying to prioritize his daughters’ wellbeing while managing his own stresses.

On the show, he reflects candidly on the reality of being a public figure with private struggles, showing the human side behind the headlines.

What Is a Pacemaker?

For context, a pacemaker is a small, battery-powered device implanted to prevent the heart from beating too slowly.

The procedure is usually done under local anaesthetic, and around 50,000 people receive pacemakers each year in the UK, according to the British Heart Foundation.

For Isabelle, this procedure is an important step in maintaining her health and quality of life.

Looking Ahead

Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins continues to offer viewers a glimpse into the pressures and resilience of its participants.

For Ben Cohen, the program has provided a platform to share his personal struggles, celebrate his daughter’s bravery, and reflect on the importance of family amid life’s many challenges.

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