Countdown presenter Rachel Riley has spoken about the challenges of "solo parenting" as her husband, Pasha Kovalev, prepares for another tour. The couple, who met on Strictly Come Dancing in 2013, have two daughters, Maven and Noa.
Balancing Work and Family
Rachel revealed that Pasha will be touring again in the autumn, meaning he will be rehearsing during the summer holidays. She told New magazine: "He'll be on tour again in the autumn, so he'll be rehearsing in the summer holidays. It's a bit more of a juggle when I'm filming too, but you just manage, don't you? We go off on playdates left, right and centre. We keep busy."
No Plans to Renew Vows
The couple, who married in 2019, have not considered renewing their wedding vows. Rachel admitted: "We haven't thought about it, plus we've got the kids now. We only had two guests at our actual wedding, and I think if we were going to do it again, and we went to Vegas again, my mum would actually kill me! I'm Jewish, so a church wedding isn't on the cards."
Kids Discovering Their Parents' Fame
Rachel also shared that their children are beginning to understand their parents' fame, thanks to school friends. She said: "They kind of know now, only because they're at school, so some of their friends have informed them. I've done STEM week and Pasha's about to go in and do dance week."
Past Comments on Relationship
This is not the first time Rachel has spoken about balancing their careers. On Russell Howard's podcast, she mentioned how they kept their relationship strong during busy periods: "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."
Praise for Jimmy Carr
In January, Rachel, who also appears on 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown, praised her co-star Jimmy Carr. She told the Shoot Your Shot podcast: "I love Jimmy. He's great. He's done more podcasts recently so people get to see how thoughtful he is. One of the smartest people I know. Really empathetic. You're not going to get anyone in the business for shutting down heckles. I've been lucky enough to work with comedians pretty much since the start of my career and you see how their brains work. The quickest, sharpest people. They can think of the jokes and also whether it's appropriate like that."
Rachel appears on 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown on Channel 4 tonight (August 7) from 9pm to 10pm.
