You might think Countdown star Rachel Riley leads a pretty charmed life with her dancer husband Pasha Kovalev, but during the summer holidays it isn’t all glitz and glamour.
Like millions of working parents, the maths whizz is currently juggling the demands of motherhood with a hectic work schedule – and with Pasha, 46, about to head off on tour, the pressure is only likely to increase.
Rachel, 40, fell for the Russian dancer while competing on Strictly Come Dancing in 2013. They married six years later and she is now mum to their two daughters, Maven, six, and Noa, four. Here, she opens up to new about the challenges of parenthood, her hopes for her children’s future and why she’s relieved social media was still in its infancy when she first found fame…
Hi, Rachel! How are you coping with the summer holidays and having the kids full time?
Oh, there’s always a new challenge. Pasha’s about to go on tour, so he’s about to disappear. We’re constantly lining up the diaries and seeing what works.
Sounds like you’ll have your hands full. What’s the secret to making it work?
I think the secret is not to worry about being perfect. They don’t need both [parents] around all the time, either. I always think there’s more pressure on the mums than the dads to be there. Things are obviously different in different households, but if your kids are happy, then it doesn’t really matter.
But what about you and Pasha? Do you get much time just for yourselves?
It does tend to revolve around the kids. [Laughs] We took them to see Matilda and afterwards we saw one of those mobile beaches. The kids were quite happy playing in the sand, burying each other, so we just had 10 minutes’ peace in a deckchair. It was great.
What about family holidays? Have you got any plans to jet off abroad?
We have booked a summer holiday, just so we could all have a few days off together – otherwise it just ends up grabbing time here and there. We’ve also got a little cruise coming up. I’ll be working, but Pasha is coming as my plus one. So that’ll be nice, because we’ll just be stuck on a boat together for a few days.
Noa will be starting school this year. How are you feeling about it?
I’m so excited. She’s been in nursery school for a while, so she already loves learning and has already started reading.
As Countdown’s words and numbers expert, will there be any pressure for your daughters to follow in your footsteps academically?
Well, research shows that kids are better with maths if they’re confident with it, so that’s all I want. My eldest says she wants to be an Olympic gymnast and a maths teacher – either or both, I don’t know.
How do the kids feel about seeing their parents on TV?
They mostly don’t even notice. I think it’s weirder for their friends, but to them it’s just normal. They do love it when they get the chance to see Pasha perform live. They go absolutely wild when he’s on stage.
Strictly must mean so much to you because it’s how you met Pasha. Are you looking forward to watching it as a family this year?
Well, by the time it comes on, Pasha will be on tour, so he won’t even be here. And I’ll be with the two kids by myself, so it will be all about trying to get through the bath and bed routine really.
You’ve been on Countdown for nearly 20 years. Has the time flown by?
It feels like forever, but also as if no time has passed at all. I’ve been through four presenters now [Jeff Stelling, Nick Hewer, Anne Robinson and Colin Murray]. I’ve also met some people who say I’ve inspired them to do a maths degree. It’s weird to think that I’m old enough, but it’s nice.
You were fresh out of university when you replaced Carol Vorderman. What do you remember of that time?
It was a whirlwind. I was 22, I finished my degree in June and I’d got the job by October. I didn’t have any TV experience at all, so looking back, I was really, really lucky.
How did you cope with the sudden fame from being on the show?
There was no social media at the time. I’m sure I would just be completely brutalised now, because you’re expected to be perfect and everyone’s got an opinion. But thank goodness, back then, I just had the Countdown team around me.
Do you plan to stay with the show?
Yes! I love doing it and I can fit other things around it. As long as people want to watch us, then I’d love to stay.
You’re heading up Energizer’s Summer Safety Swap campaign, which sounds really important. Tell us all about it…
Coin batteries are a really serious hazard for young children. It’s about starting that conversation now, because too often we only ever hear about something once a horrible tragedy has already happened. If a child swallows a coin battery, it’s a 999 emergency. There are so many things nowadays parents have to worry about, but this is really serious and can’t be ignored.
Rachel has partnered with Energizer to encourage families to check their homes for hidden battery hazards and replace old lithium coin batteries with the new Energizer® Ultimate Child Shield™ batteries, the world’s only lithium coin battery that prevents ingestion burns if swallowed
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