Strictly Come Dancing star Kristina Rihanoff is putting her dancing shoes back on for the first time since becoming a mum, joining Gleb Savchenko for a one-day-only West End stage performance this December.
In an exclusive interview with HELLO! online, the 38-year-old mum-of-one revealed she's busy building up her fitness and stamina after giving birth to baby Mila just two months ago, and can't wait to get back into the dance studio to learn the moves for her exciting on-stage spectacle.
Gleb Savchenko will join Kristina on stage
"I love being a mum, it’s an incredible experience, but dancing has always been my life, it flows my creative juices. It will be so great to do this project," Kristina says of the show, One More Dance, which will consist of two performances, at 3pm and 7.30pm at the Adelphi Theatre in London on Sunday 11 December.
"Mila will probably be able to come along to some of the rehearsals, she’ll be five months by then," the new mum explains. "I mean the first two months I couldn’t think of leaving her at all but it’s just starting to get a little easier. And I have great support so we’ll make it work."
The lavish show is the brainchild of TV dance show judge and Gleb’s wife, Elena Samodanova, and it will give fans (young and old alike) a chance to get up close and personal with two of their favourite Strictly stars.
"Mila will probably be able to come along to some of the rehearsals, she’ll be five months by then," said Kristina
"We’re going to have audience participation," Kristina says excitedly. "People can come on stage and dance with us and we’ll have a Q&A so people can ask any questions they have. We want to give back to our fans who have been so supportive."
The exciting performances will give British fans of the show, still mourning the loss of hunky Gleb, a chance to see him in person, hot from the set of the American show Dancing With the Stars where he's currently working.
"I know the fans are missing Gleb," Kristina says, laughing. "So this is a chance for them to catch up with him! He was truly embraced by the British fans last year."
Of course for Kristina, the reality of getting the entire show together in time for its 11 December deadline is made more complicated now she's a mum of a newborn baby. But the HELLO! online blogger says her husband Ben Cohen and both sets of grandparents are eager to step in and help her out.
"I have great support so we’ll make it work," she added
"I have wonderful support from Ben, his mum and my mother so they will be helping me and babysitting. I’m breastfeeding so I’ll just have to make sure I express enough but the whole family is on board so it’s going to make a massive difference."
Kristina promises an eclectic mix of dance styles, including ballroom and Latin but also incorporating modern genres with the addition of amazing live vocals from West End stars Louise Dearman and Patrick Smyth, to complement the dancing.
"It’s a dance extravaganza," says Kristina. "Obviously Gleb and I are known as ballroom and Latin dances, and we’ll give the fans what they expect, but we have eight more dancers too who are incredible tap and jazz dancers, contemporary ballet, so it’s like a variety show.
"And because it’s nearly Christmas, we’ll have festive songs. We hope all our fans will come out – the young ones as well. Because of the time, and the fact that it’s interactive we hope it will appeal to children too."
Tickets for the performances will be available from 10am on Thursday, 22 September, via telephone (0203 725 7060) or online at rutlive.co.uk/event/one-more-dance/. For more information visit onemoredance.london or adelphi.theatre. Meet and greet packages are available.
