She’s been dancing since she was six years old – but after her daughter Milena was born , Russian professional ballroom dancer Kristina Rihanoff feared she’d never perform again. Kristina faced a tough recovery from bladder weakness, pelvic floor numbness, and a significant loss of core strength post-pregnancy, reports OK! It took her eight months to recover, with an upcoming tour adding pressure, leaving her worried about disappointing everyone involved. "It was scary because you think, ‘Am I ever going to dance again?’" the former Strictly Come Dancing star shares.
“At the end of the day, it’s my work, and I love it.” Even with her high fitness levels and dedication to yoga, she struggled to perform basic poses like the plank after childbirth. "I had no sensation of any kind in my pelvic floor area," she reveals.
“I’m very body aware so I was like, ‘What is going on?’ I know my body inside out, I have always trained my body and competed at the professional level with very high endurance training so feeling like I couldn’t engage my core, and I couldn’t engage my pelvic floor, it really freaked me out. I was like, ‘What happened to my body? Where is all of that sensation?’” The physical challenges also impacted Kristina's mental health, although she was grateful to avoid post-natal depression, which affected many in her circle. Nonetheless, the worry about returning to the work she loves weighed heavily on her mind.
"Yes, 100% it affected my.
