Rachel Riley has revealed she was left feeling "stressed out" after discovering two lithium coin batteries in her husband Pasha Kovalev's office. The Countdown presenter made the find while paying closer attention to potential battery dangers around her home.
Riley has become involved in a campaign highlighting the risks posed by lithium coin batteries, and she admitted she now looks at everyday objects differently. Writing for The Telegraph, she opened up about life at home with Pasha, a former Strictly Come Dancing professional, and their two daughters, Noa and Maven.
Discovery in Pasha's office
Riley has teamed up with Energizer to encourage parents to replace older lithium coin batteries with its Ultimate Child Shield batteries, which are designed to reduce the risk of ingestion burns if swallowed. She explained that batteries can easily be overlooked because people may intend to dispose of them properly or take them to be recycled, only for them to be left somewhere around the house.
Hearing "frightening" stories about children swallowing batteries prompted her to take a much closer look at her own surroundings. That vigilance paid off when she made a discovery in Pasha's office.
"I found two in Pasha's office the other day which stressed me out," she admitted.
Family life at home
Riley also offered a glimpse into the reality of family life once the working day is over. With two young children to get through bedtime, the couple's evenings are far from peaceful downtime.
"Our evening routine mostly consists of shouting: 'It's nine o'clock, why aren't you asleep?'" she said. Riley explained that she is usually responsible for getting the girls settled, with bedtime involving books and plenty of cuddles.
"I'm on bedtime duty, so we read stories and cuddle until they fall asleep. The question is whether I fall asleep with them!" she added. Once the girls are finally in bed, Pasha tends to unwind downstairs by playing a computer game "involving some form of destruction".
Contrasting tastes and career
The couple's contrasting tastes extend to their choice of television, with Riley admitting they do not always agree on what to watch. "He likes zombies and end-of-the-world dramas, while I prefer dating programmes or food and travel shows – anything that lets me switch off and live vicariously," she explained.
Riley and Pasha first met when she appeared on Strictly Come Dancing, before going on to marry and start a family together. Away from her home life, Riley has remained a familiar face on Countdown after taking over from Carol Vorderman at the age of just 22. She has also appeared regularly on 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown.
The presenter recently became emotional while watching archive footage from the comedy programme, with appearances from the late Sean Lock bringing back memories of the much-loved comedian. Sean died from lung cancer aged 58 in 2021 after becoming a team captain when the show launched. Riley previously opened up about how much she still misses Sean, saying: "we miss Sean so much". She explained that seeing old clips of him had left her emotional, although she stressed that the tears were "mostly tears of laughter" because of his comedy.
