Countdown star Rachel Riley met her husband, Pasha Kovalev, when they were partnered on Strictly Come Dancing in 2013 and they tied the knot six years later
Rachel Riley, the maths whizz from Channel 4’s Countdown, has opened up about her stint on Strictly Come Dancing with Pasha Kovalev, who she went on to marry in 2019. Admitting she didn’t exactly love her time on the hit BBC show, she confessed: “As soon as the music would start, I would have a fuzzy brain and it was like an out-of-body experience.”
That said, Rachel did find one positive from her Strictly journey – being paired with professional dancer Pasha. Romance flourished between them after the programme, with the pair confirming their relationship shortly after the series wrapped in December 2013.
They tied the knot in a Las Vegas ceremony on June 28, 2019. After seeing up close the pressures placed on Pasha, Rachel said she understood why he decided to quit Strictly just months before their wedding.
Speaking on Russell Howard’s Five Brilliant Things podcast earlier this year, she highlighted the punishing schedule endured by Strictly pros such as Pasha: “They start doing the group dances right through to Christmas,” she explained. “He’s mega busy.”
Rachel also pointed out that throughout his Strictly days, Pasha was far from ideal company. “He’s like a zombie, like a shell of a human that’s got nothing to say for himself,” she added of the struggles.
Yet they discovered ways to manage the pressure, with Rachel disclosing how they maximised their time off. “So, as soon as he wasn’t working, we kind of regrouped and we kept our relationship going by travelling in between the heavy workload,” she added.
Meanwhile, following health assessments, Pasha, 46, and Rachel, 40, uncovered several minor “hidden health surprises” they hadn’t previously been aware of.
To increase their muscle mass, they’ve deliberately ramped up their daily physical activity levels. Rachel proposed taking up squash, which has since become a weekly fixture for the couple.
Pasha revealed: “We try to do it every week, at least once a week, we’ve been successful so far.”
The dancer admitted he’d never picked up a squash racket before joining Rachel in the sport, but considers it brilliant for maintaining fitness and cardiovascular health.
Pasha noted that Rachel derives even greater satisfaction from their matches as she regularly wins.
Dancing, which originally united them, continues to be a fundamental part of their relationship, with the pair still loving to showcase their skills during date nights.
Rachel has also incorporated swimming into her exercise regime, taking part in the new programme Shark! Celebrity Infested Waters, where she dives with sharks off Bimini’s coast in the Bahamas.
Rachel told the Daily Mail about the experience: “I did feel fear at seeing a shark up close for the first time,” describing how a bull shark came towards the protective cage. “My heart was racing but I didn’t freak out.”
She continued: “We later learned that every kind of shark has a different personality. The bull shark is a sneaky f*****. The experts don’t trust them.”
Despite her reservations about getting in the water with these fearsome creatures, Rachel admitted the experience left her on a high, confessing: “It was glorious. There’s a feeling of euphoria. You can really feel the chemical reaction in your body.”
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