Kristina Rihanoff and Ben Cohen have revealed they are engaged and have shared photographs of the surprise proposal exclusively with HELLO! magazine.
MORE: Strictly professional Kristina Rihanoff and partner Ben celebrate family occasion
The former rugby union star asked ex-Strictly Come Dancing professional Kristina to marry him during a romantic holiday in the Maldives.
WATCH: Kristina and Ben reveal engagement after surprise Maldives proposal
"It was the biggest surprise of my life," Kristina exclusively tells HELLO!. "Although we'd talked before about getting married one day, I hadn't the slightest idea that Ben was planning this. I was overcome with emotion and said: 'Yes, yes and yes' straight away."
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The romantic proposal came during a holiday on the paradise island resort of Soneva Fushi. "I wanted us to go further forward together and taking a holiday in such a beautiful place felt like the perfect moment to do that," says Ben, who first met Kristina when they were paired together on Strictly in 2013.
"Setting the scene had to be really special and with the help of members of staff at the resort, we achieved that. It was truly incredible and blew me away."
The couple met on Strictly Come Dancing
The couple reveal that Ben's proposal came halfway through their 16-day holiday when they were taken on a boat trip to a nearby island. As they arrived, she could see a lantern-lit heart and 'Will you marry me?' written in the sand.
"My first reaction was: 'Wow!'" she says. "It was absolutely surreal and I couldn't believe what was happening. I'm usually very perceptive but I didn't have a clue Ben had been planning this. How he managed to keep it a secret was amazing."
The couple, who run the Soo Yoga wellbeing and fitness centre in Northampton, are now looking forward to celebrating their engagement with family and friends.
They've opened up to HELLO! about their happy news
"It's easy to love someone when everything's rosy but it’s a different story when life becomes a challenge," she continues, referring to the problems they encountered during the pandemic.
Ben adds: "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."
Credits: Julia Neeson @julesandbeyond for Soneva, Haneen Siddiq @haneensiddiq for Soneva and Aksham Abdul Gadhir @ishotmaldives for Soneva. Website: soneva.com, social media handle: @discoversoneva
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