Kristina Rihanoff

Biography

Kristina is just about to turn 34, and is 5'3''.

Her specialities are Latin and Mambo. Kristina’s professional dance partner on Strictly Come Dancing is Robin Windsor.

Strictly

In her first year on Strictly, Kristina was paired with John Sergeant. John and Kristina hit the headlines several times over the series, until their departure after Show 9.

In 2009 Kristina bagged herself more than just a dance partner when she took to the floor with boxer Joe Calzaghe. They danced their way through to week five and finished the competition as a real life couple.

Last year Kristina was paired with well-known DJ, musician and visual artist, Goldie. Even though the duo had fun rehearsing, the couple left Strictly after dancing the foxtrot in week 2.

This year Kristina is hoping it will be forth time lucky for her. Having had both an athlete and a television personality in previous years, she is now hoping for a combination of the two! She feels really excited about this series.

Background

Kristina was born in Siberia and she fell in love with music and dance at a young age. She entered her first dance competition at 7 years old. She took part in scores of competitions from then on and became a renowned dance champion in Russia.

In 2004, Kristina and her partner were invited to compete in the World Exhibition at the Blackpool Dance Festival. Together they placed second in the Theatre Style category.

Kristina then returned to the International Style Latin circuit with a new partner, Michael Wentink, one of Latin dance's most famous masters. Kristina and Michael promptly won the South African Championship and were also Semi Finalists at the 2007 British Open in Blackpool in the Latin American Division.

Trivia

Kristina says her hobby is professional make up. ''I have a passion for making ladies look beautiful on the dance floor.''

Visit Kristina's website

Dancing partner

Kristina Rihanoff is dancing with Jason Donovan.

Fan of Team Jastina?

Join in the discussion on Jason and Kristina's Fanblog page - "I heart Team Jastina"!