Former Strictly Come Dancing star Ben Cohen and his wife Abby are separating after 11 years of marriage. A joint statement released by their representative read: "Ben and Abby Cohen have agreed to take time apart to deal with some marital issues but remain fully committed to the welfare of their children". The couple, who married in 2003 after going out for eight years, have two daughters. Ben and Abby pictured together Thirty six-year-old Ben was a contestant on last year's series of Strictly Come Dancing. The retired rugby player who was partnered with professional dancer Kristina Rihanoff, came in eighth place. It was recently revealed that actress Sunetra Sarker, a contestant on this year's series of Strictly, has split from husband Nick Corfield. Last year, Countdown presenter Rachel Riley split from her husband Jamie Gilbert after appearing on the show. BBC newsreader Natasha Kaplinsky’s relationship came to an end during the first series of the show and in 2009, Strictly contestant Joe Calzaghe split from his girlfriend.