The ex-wife of Ben Cohen, Abby, has been diagnosed with cancer.
Abby, who married Ben in 2003 and has twin daughters – now 15 years old – with the former rugby union star, shared a video of her journey to Instagram. It included footage and images of their daughters supporting her, and Abby undergoing treatment and wearing a stoma bag.
She explained that she’d visited a doctor after some health concerns, but didn’t share where her cancer was found.
Ben Cohen ex-wife
She wrote: “This was and is the toughest yet. I’m unlucky, but lucky, to have been warned only once with a symptom of this terrible illness.
Never ignore your body when it’s trying to warn you, I didn’t and it’s given me a chance to live my new life.
“With huge thanks to the NHS for saving my life & taking good care of me when I felt so scared & most vulnerable. I can’t express enough how lucky I am to have such amazing family & friends that have helped me through this incredibly tough journey.
“Never ignore your body when it’s trying to warn you, I didn’t and it’s given me a chance to live my new life. In time and with the right treatment.
“I’m hoping this will all be a distant memory for me. You never know how strong you are until it’s your only choice.”
Abby found love again after Ben split
Ben and Abby split in 2014 and divorced two years later. In 2016, Ben had another daughter with former Strictly Come Dancing dancer Kristina Rihanoff, his partner on the show in 2013. In November last year, the pair got engaged in the Maldives.
After Ben and Abby split, Abby told The Sun: “My husband, who I was with for 23 years, unconditionally loved and was completely loyal to in every respect, has left me for a [expletive] Russian dancer. The last two years have been the most traumatic thing to ever happen to me. He’s done the dirty on me. I want people to know.
“I sat in the studio audience each week smiling, but looking back, I see I was terrified. Thankfully, I don’t recognise that frightened woman now, I’m so different. Perhaps Strictly did me a favour in the long run.”
In 2020, Abby shared her new partner, Dave, and in 2021 expressed regret for the comments she made about Kristina. She told New magazine: “At the time of the break-up, when hugely stressed, I once angrily referred to Ben’s partner as a ‘[expletive] Russian dancer’ to a journalist hassling me. I regret that now.”
Read more: Full extent of Duchess of York’s cancer op ‘revealed’: ‘She feels lucky to be alive’
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