Ben Cohen has revealed he secretly battled with hearing loss during his 2013 Strictly Come Dancing stint.
The rugby star, 42, who kept his problems secret at the time, said he was plagued with nerves ahead of his first performance due to his lack of hearing, as he prepared to dance with Kristina Rihanoff.
Ben and Kristina, 43, chatted about their time on Strictly during Wednesday’s Loose Women, but the interview was hit by numerous technical difficulties leading to complaints from many viewers that they could just see a black screen.
Challenging: Ben Cohen, 42, has revealed he secretly battled with hearing loss during his 2013 Strictly Come Dancing stint as he appeared on Loose Women with Kristina Rihanoff, 43
Despite it being seven years since they competed on Strictly together, Ben said he still feels the nerves from that first dance.
He told the Loose Women panel: ‘That brings back a lot of memories I was nervous watching that.’
Ben added that as he’s clinically deaf, he found the prospect of performing even more terrifying, adding: ‘I’m deaf, for me it was one minute twenty going how on earth can I get through this.’
The sportsman previously revealed he kept his hearing problems a secret while he competed on the show, with Kristina coming up with the new ways for him to learn the routines.
Oh dear! The interview was plagued with technical woes, as Ruth Langsford revealed some viewers’ TV screens were cutting out during the broadcast
Dancing days: During the interview, Ben and Kristina chatted about their time on Strictly together, revealing they had to come up with new ways to learn the routines
Together: The pair formed a real-life romance after appearing on the show, and are now parents to daughter Milena, four
Speaking to HELLO! last year he said: ‘It was something that was overlooked – I couldn’t hear the music or the beat just a noise, so (Kristina) would squeeze my palm and nod – I wanted to achieve something and I set my mind to it – if you set your mind to it you can achieve anything you put your mind to.’
After competing on Strictly together, Ben and Kristina have gone onto form a real-life romance, and are now parents to daughter Milena, four.
As Ben and Kristina continued discussing Strictly’s new series, some viewers complained the broadcast repeatedly cut out, leaving them with just a blank screen.
Drama: The interview was hit by several technical difficulties, with some viewers complaining their screens kept cutting to black
Kristina appeared to be cut off mid-sentence, with the transmission returning as she said: ‘I am absolutely thrilled the show is still going on the road.’
For several minutes the Loose Women hosts seemed oblivious, but Ruth Langsford was quickly alerted by bosses, saying: ‘If that’s happening in our area it’s a technical difficulty we’re looking into, hopefully you’re with us now.’
Ben and Kristina were guests on the show after launching their own yoga business, admitting they couldn’t have picked a worse time as England remains in lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Where did the chat go? Kristina appeared to be cut off mid-sentence, with the transmission returning as she said: ‘I am absolutely thrilled the show is still going on the road’
Kristina said: ‘We quite like it because we have an amazing community and when we had to close our yoga we had to do everything virtually.
‘We went over the initial outlines, keeping on top of fitness. Ben was doing videos. We make sure our members are well taken care of because we know how important it is for them to stay healthy.’
Ben added: ‘It’s just the fact, are we going to stay closed are we going to reopen again. Mental health, it’s very difficult for people who won’t go out.’
Loose Women airs weekdays from 12:30pm on ITV.
Back soon: Loose Women airs weekdays from 12:30pm on ITV