Kristina Rihanoff Fools Around With Foxy For Comic Relief

Kristina Rihanoff Fools Around With Foxy For Comic Relief

Kristina Rihanoff must have the patient of a saint. How else could she of got through all those gruelling weeks of Strictly Come Dancing, paired with that loveable old rogue John Sergeant?

She weathered the media storm alongside John, and was naturally upset at having to pull out after he decided he was in real danger of actually winning the whole thing!

They provided so many comedy laughs, we were very excited to sit down with Kristina to talk about John, dancing and just why she's doing the foxy bingo campaign this year...


Hi Kristina, how are you?
I'm good, fine thank you.

What have you been up to recently?
Well you know dancing on the tour, it's the Strictly Come Dancing Tour UK and it's lots of fun, and I get to see so many different places, you know each week we are somewhere else in a different place and that's what I'm loving about it.


How long is it on for this year?
Erm, it's going on until the 22nd of February and I'm dancing with Matthew Cutler. He was the champion of last year with Alesha Dixon and we're dancing like a solo number together, which is very exciting because we can mix our styles of dancing. We danced just a little bit on the show, but this is the first time I'm partnering him full on. Matthew was a world champion and finalist and when you partner somebody like him it's an amazing feeling and his style is great, but we're actually pretty comfortable with each other.


How fit do you have to be to take part in a gruelling tour like Strictly?
Well, you have to be in good shape, you have to look after your diet and do some exercising, but you know we do a lot of dancing and it takes care of itself. My daily routine would be to do some training for the show in the evening and then do the performing. But you know, if I don't have a tour or anything to do then I'll probably go to the gym about four times a week and do a workout for an hour. I have bad days though, but it's my life and it's been like that for a long time.

What made you want to do Strictly?
Well, I did the Dancing with the Stars in America and I heard that the London show was looking for some new people, so I sent my resume and I was invited to do a screen test and I got the job. I wanted to be part of the real thing and the original show was exciting for me, and it's not very different from the American show either. We've got Len and Bruno on both panels, they are themselves in both shows, they don't act any differently.


Onto John, the Nation's sweetheart- What was it like to partner him?
It was amazing, the guy was so sweet and very very kind and funny, he was like the best thing that could ever happen to me for the first season- my ideal partner [FF: awww!]. There wasn't anyone I would have rather partnered, I've learnt so much from this man and like I said, it was something very special, he really was one of those people who can change your life, and make you look at yourself it a different way. He was the right one for me.


You must of got defensive when he was being attacked by the judges- Arlene in particular...
Those people are just acting as well, she is really a very sweet woman and she is choreographing and helping all of us in the tour and is outstanding, but you must realise when you're on a TV show, we all have our part to play.

We're you surprising the amount of attention he received, both from the judges and the media?
Yes, I was I didn't think it was going to be like that, it was overwhelming getting so much attention from the public, it was really sweet.

How did it effect you, as a partnership did it make you stronger, or did it upset you?
Well, at the end of the day you know it is down to public vote and my job was to really make him look and feel good every week on the show, so to be honest we never really thought about it. Like I said behind the scenes we were all very nice to each other, there was no bitterness between anybody, so we just moved on with our dance each week.


The Paso dance has become something of a cult classic- did you intend for it to be as funny as it was?
Yes I did, I used to do it in competitions with my professional partner a long time ago and I would never think in a million years that it would become such an iconic move or whatever. People remember it and it surprised me, but I guess it's just something people liked.

Do you really think that he could have won?
Erm, no I don't think so, the atmosphere was so amazing you know there was some amazing people dancing and some very strong competitors and I think at the end of the day we would of got eliminated at some point. There was some of the strongest competitors I have seen in that show, in both America and the UK. For John it was right for him to go when we did, for me it was a decision he had made and it's always sad to leave a competition, but it was right.

Are you taking part in the next series?
Well, we'll see nobody knows yet- but fingers crossed!

What's next for you?
Well, I will go back to LA and spend some time with my mum and I really want to go back to Russia to see my relatives, because I've not seen them in a while. It's very important family time to me.

So what's you involvement with Foxy Bingo and Comic relief?
Yes, well basically Foxy bingo is launching the online Foxy dance video with comic relief and so it's just a very good way for people who are at home to dance at home, lose some weight, have so fun and get fit as well and that's what's so great about it. You don't have to get a gym membership, just log on the web and be in shape. Dancing is one of the best ways to keep in shape as well.

Kristina appears in the ‘Foxy Dance’ video ahead of ‘Foxy’s £50,000 Red Nose Bingo game on March 13th in support of Red Nose Day.

For every £1 card bought, Foxy Bingo will donate £1 to Comic Relief to help give poor and disadvantaged people in the UK and Africa a helping hand to turn their lives around. To see Kristina and Foxy’s hilarious video, go to the Foxy Bingo website.

FemaleFirst-Laura Terry

 

Kristina Rihanoff must have the patient of a saint. How else could she of got through all those gruelling weeks of Strictly Come Dancing, paired with that loveable old rogue John Sergeant?

She weathered the media storm alongside John, and was naturally upset at having to pull out after he decided he was in real danger of actually winning the whole thing!

They provided so many comedy laughs, we were very excited to sit down with Kristina to talk about John, dancing and just why she's doing the foxy bingo campaign this year...


Hi Kristina, how are you?
I'm good, fine thank you.

What have you been up to recently?
Well you know dancing on the tour, it's the Strictly Come Dancing Tour UK and it's lots of fun, and I get to see so many different places, you know each week we are somewhere else in a different place and that's what I'm loving about it.


How long is it on for this year?
Erm, it's going on until the 22nd of February and I'm dancing with Matthew Cutler. He was the champion of last year with Alesha Dixon and we're dancing like a solo number together, which is very exciting because we can mix our styles of dancing. We danced just a little bit on the show, but this is the first time I'm partnering him full on. Matthew was a world champion and finalist and when you partner somebody like him it's an amazing feeling and his style is great, but we're actually pretty comfortable with each other.


How fit do you have to be to take part in a gruelling tour like Strictly?
Well, you have to be in good shape, you have to look after your diet and do some exercising, but you know we do a lot of dancing and it takes care of itself. My daily routine would be to do some training for the show in the evening and then do the performing. But you know, if I don't have a tour or anything to do then I'll probably go to the gym about four times a week and do a workout for an hour. I have bad days though, but it's my life and it's been like that for a long time.

What made you want to do Strictly?
Well, I did the Dancing with the Stars in America and I heard that the London show was looking for some new people, so I sent my resume and I was invited to do a screen test and I got the job. I wanted to be part of the real thing and the original show was exciting for me, and it's not very different from the American show either. We've got Len and Bruno on both panels, they are themselves in both shows, they don't act any differently.


Onto John, the Nation's sweetheart- What was it like to partner him?
It was amazing, the guy was so sweet and very very kind and funny, he was like the best thing that could ever happen to me for the first season- my ideal partner [FF: awww!]. There wasn't anyone I would have rather partnered, I've learnt so much from this man and like I said, it was something very special, he really was one of those people who can change your life, and make you look at yourself it a different way. He was the right one for me.


You must of got defensive when he was being attacked by the judges- Arlene in particular...
Those people are just acting as well, she is really a very sweet woman and she is choreographing and helping all of us in the tour and is outstanding, but you must realise when you're on a TV show, we all have our part to play.

We're you surprising the amount of attention he received, both from the judges and the media?
Yes, I was I didn't think it was going to be like that, it was overwhelming getting so much attention from the public, it was really sweet.

How did it effect you, as a partnership did it make you stronger, or did it upset you?
Well, at the end of the day you know it is down to public vote and my job was to really make him look and feel good every week on the show, so to be honest we never really thought about it. Like I said behind the scenes we were all very nice to each other, there was no bitterness between anybody, so we just moved on with our dance each week.


The Paso dance has become something of a cult classic- did you intend for it to be as funny as it was?
Yes I did, I used to do it in competitions with my professional partner a long time ago and I would never think in a million years that it would become such an iconic move or whatever. People remember it and it surprised me, but I guess it's just something people liked.

Do you really think that he could have won?
Erm, no I don't think so, the atmosphere was so amazing you know there was some amazing people dancing and some very strong competitors and I think at the end of the day we would of got eliminated at some point. There was some of the strongest competitors I have seen in that show, in both America and the UK. For John it was right for him to go when we did, for me it was a decision he had made and it's always sad to leave a competition, but it was right.

Are you taking part in the next series?
Well, we'll see nobody knows yet- but fingers crossed!

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