Following his split from wife Abigail, whom he was married to for 11 years, Ben Cohen has taken to Facebook in a bid to quell affair rumours about him and Strictly Come Dancing partner, Kristina Rihanoff.
He insisted: "My wife and I have already issued a statement regarding our current marital issues, and we stand by that statement.
"Our own problems, like those of any family, should be handled in private. That I am a public figure, does not remove my family’s right to privacy.
"The bullying and abuse has to stop. I will continue to speak out. I will continue to stand up for myself and others."
He claimed that he and Kristina are just friends, adding: "It is a desperately sad world, when two adults of different genders cannot have a friendship without being attacked maliciously."
However mother-in-law Felicity Bassouls has slammed Ben for his statement.
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She told The Daily Express: "I cannot believe what Ben Cohen has written - I am afraid to say, when you are a celebrity and in the limelight, you have to treat people with the same respect that you expect from the public.
"I have experienced a great deal of bullying from you myself. Your behaviour has been so disrespectful and very intimidating not just to myself but my husband also.
"I know you very well Mr Ben Cohen and I am not going to stand back and let you bully and intimidate me again. You have broken my daughter's heart and the little girls' and also my heart."
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Ben met his wife in 1995, at the age of 17, and the couple married in 2003 before having their twin daughters, Harriette and Isabelle, in 2008.
They released a statement at the start of September to say that their marriage was over.
The public statement read: "Ben and Abby Cohen have agreed to take time apart to deal with some marital issues but remain fully committed to the welfare of their children.
"There is no third party involved, and Ben and Abby now ask that their privacy and that of their family be respected at this difficult time."
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