Celebrity SAS star Ben Cohen emotionally reveals his daughter Isabelle, 17, has to have a pacemaker fitted after being diagnosed with heart condition: ‘It’s been horrendous’

Ben Cohen emotionally reveals to his daughter Isabelle that she will have to have surgery to install a pacemaker after being diagnosed with a heart condition.

In scenes to be aired on Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins, the 47-year-old former rugby player describes the last 18 months as ‘terrible’ after his on-and-off relationship with Kristina Rihanoff and financial troubles.

Ben admits he tries to be a ‘pillar of strength’ for his daughters. The athlete is the father of twins Isabelle and Harriet from his 13-year marriage to Abby Cohen and nine-year-old Milena with Kristina.

In tense interrogation scenes, the rugby star explains what’s going on in his life.

‘It was a terrible situation. “Izzy is getting a pacemaker and there’s a lot that needs to be done,” he says. Sun.

‘How do you deal with this? Be strong for your daughter, you must be the pillar of that strength. That’s when self-neglect comes into play because you prioritize other things before yourself.’

Ben admits he tries to be a ‘pillar of strength’ for his daughters. The athlete is the father of twin children Isabelle and Harriet from his 13-year marriage to Abby Cohen and Milena (9).

Ben does not reveal what Isabelle’s heart condition is. A pacemaker is a small implanted electronic device that regulates your heartbeat by sending electrical impulses to your heart, preventing it from beating too slowly or irregularly and improving the quality of life for people with abnormal heart rhythms.

During the show, Ben is said to have written a heartfelt letter to Isabelle, in which he applauded the teenager for her bravery since her diagnosis.

He adds: ‘Personally, in my life, there’s so much going on in so many different areas that when you get to this point it’s almost like the lid of the box opens and all these emotions swirl together.

‘A lot of terrible things have happened in my life and after a while you don’t realize what’s going to come back and get you.’

While Ben admits he often hides his emotions, SAS officer Billy Billingham soon dismisses this and says taking part in the challenge was like ‘putting a band-aid on a gunshot wound’.

The former Strictly star also opens up about the death of her father Peter Cohen, brother of 1966 World Cup winner George. Ben says this left a ‘hole’ in his life.

Peter died of a blood clot a month after he was beaten while trying to break up a fight at his own nightclub in Northampton in 2000. Three of his attackers were jailed for violent disorder.

Ben’s appearance on Channel 4’s Celebrity SAS comes after it was reported that he had rekindled his relationship with Kristina.

In scenes to air on Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins, the 47-year-old former rugby player describes the last 18 months following his on-off relationship with Kristina Rihanoff as ‘terrible’

The former Strictly star is speaking out about the death of her father Peter Cohen, brother of 1966 World Cup winner George. Ben says it left a ‘hole’ in his life

Ben appears in the latest series of Channel 4’s Celeb SAS: Who Dares Wins

A source told the publication: ‘They decided to give things another go. They looked so in love.’

They were said to have spent everything they had on a yoga studio and fitness business and were severely affected by Covid.

The extent of the couple’s struggles was revealed under unusual circumstances during a court appearance in 2024, when professional dancer Kristina was caught driving without insurance.

England World Cup-winning rugby star Ben, who gave evidence during the trial, admitted to incompetence in managing his car insurance policy and told how he was ‘fighting to save his relationship and home’.

A friend of the couple told the Daily Mail in March: ‘The past six months have been hell for them and have torn their love apart. They have chosen to move forward as separate individuals for the sake of their families.

‘Those close to them who knew them as a couple were hoping they could work things out, but for now it’s all over and there seems to be no going back.’

The couple were left facing crippling debts after plowing every penny they had into a yoga studio that went into crisis during the Covid pandemic.

With tortuous candour, Ben told the court: ‘I wake up every day and fight not to lose everything, my cars, my house, my relationship. ‘I’m so impressed.’

When asked about the tensions in her and Rihanoff’s relationship, she said: ‘We still live together. We are in this business financially.

He added: ‘We do business together so the problem is we opened the business before Covid and we’ve been through the worst of it and to be honest it’s just another problem for me to deal with.

‘There is an over limit on my credit cards. My limit has been exceeded on both accounts. We have commercial debt due to Covid. It’s just another problem.’

MailOnline was told about the difficulties during an interview with the couple in May 2021.

They co-founded Soo Yoga Group in June 2017; four years after they fell in love when they partnered on the 11th series of the hit BBC show.

Companies House records showed Soo Yoga Group Ltd had £488,470 in the red in the last set of accounts submitted for the year ending July 31, 2022.

The company was in danger of layoffs, and Cohen resigned as director, leaving Rihanoff as sole director; Other companies linked to the couple were also in trouble.

It didn’t take long for the couple to put their £1.75 million five-bedroom home in Sywell, Northamptonshire, where they have lived since 2016, on the market.

Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins is on Channel 4 on Sunday and is also available to watch.