The Countdown star appeared on the eleventh series of Strictly Come Dancing in 2013 where she was partnered with Pasha Kovalev, who she later married in 2019
Matt Jackson Trendswatch Content Editor
10:00, 23 Jan 2026
Pasha offered readers a glimpse into his home life with the Countdown star(Image: Alan Chapman/Dave Benett/Getty Images)
Rachel Riley took a subtle swipe at Strictly Come Dancing whilst reflecting on her stint on the programme. The Countdown presenter featured in the eleventh series of Strictly back in 2013.
Paired with professional dancer Pasha Kovalev, she became the fifth celebrity to be eliminated from the competition. Model Abbey Clancy, dancing alongside Aljaž Škorjanec, ultimately claimed the Glitterball Trophy, defeating Susanna Reid and Kevin Clifton in the final.
Shortly after the programme concluded, Rachel revealed she was romantically involved with Pasha. The couple tied the knot in June 2019 and have since become parents to daughters Maven and Noa.
Despite her Strictly appearance and marriage to a professional dancer, Rachel held a frank assessment of her dancing abilities. During an interview on the Shoot Your Shot podcast, when questioned whether she’d mastered dancing, she responded: “Absolutely not. No, you learn how to hang on, you don’t have enough time to learn how to dance and I’d never danced.
“So you know, that’s why I went into it because you want to learn a skill and it is fun. We have danced, Pasha and I when we go travelling, which we love, we’ve danced in Cannes, we’ve danced in Bali, we’ve danced in LA, Colombia, everywhere you go there’s a salsa club.”
Rachel and Pasha partnered together on Strictly(Image: )
Rachel revealed that during her Strictly period, her schedule was divided between her Essex residence, her Countdown filming obligations in Manchester, and her presenting duties on The Gadget Show in Birmingham.
She went on: “You have a week from start to finish and you have to do It Takes Two, you have to do rehearsals, you have to do some sort of filming where you pretend that squash helps you learn to dance, and you have to do all kinds of things that fit in and I’d never danced a step in my life. So, you learn how to hang on for that week.”
Rachel has been a fixture on Countdown since 2009, when she succeeded Carol Vorderman as the programme’s mathematical specialist. She remembers feeling “thrilled” to land the role shortly after finishing her degree at the University of Oxford.
Rachel and Pasha share two children together(Image: Alan Chapman/Dave Benett/Getty I)
She has subsequently dubbed the Countdown position as the “only cool maths job around”. Rachel is back on screens this afternoon (January 16) at 2.10pm hosting Countdown with Colin Murray on Channel 4, before featuring on 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown at 9pm on the same broadcaster.
Pasha’s last Strictly stint occurred in 2018, when he made it to the finale with ex-Pussycat Dolls star Ashley Roberts. Speaking to Heat magazine, Pasha disclosed it seemed like the “right moment” to depart from his Strictly experience.
“It was time to move on and I don’t regret it,” the 45-year-old stated. He identified the “hardest thing” about his professional role on the show as “saying goodbye” to each celebrity companion.
He added: “Part of your heart stays with that person, then the next year you have to find energy and more love to give to the next person.
“My heart was torn into pieces and given away to random people, so I had to make one of them my wife. Rachel said it was part of her Strictly contract.”
