Diane Shipley
Countdown star Rachel Riley shares two children with her husband, Pasha Kovalev, who she met when she signed up for Strictly Come Dancing
Rachel Riley pulled out all the stops on Sunday in her first photoshoot since welcoming her second child Noa in November.
The doting mum-of-two posed up a storm in some glamorous outfits for the Sunday Times Magazine, including a dark satin-effect suit that she wore with natural makeup, styling her blonde hair so it flowed past her shoulders.
SEE: Rachel Riley shares rare photo of baby Noa as she marks special milestone
Rachel also spoke about her experience of the Strictly ‘curse’ after marrying Pasha Kovalev, who partnered her on the BBC dance series in 2013.
The couple tied the knot in Las Vegas in June 2019, a month after announcing they were expecting their first child. They went on to welcome eldest daughter Maven that December.
WATCH: Rachel Riley’s daughter Maven takes after dad Pasha Kovalev
During her time on Strictly, the Countdown star announced her split from her first husband Jamie Gilbert, who she met while studying at Oxford.
MORE: Rachel Riley issues important plea after ‘old friend’ gets in touch with family health struggle
SEE: Rachel Riley shares new candid picture of Pasha Kovalev and baby Noa – but fans question one detail
Shortly after the series, she and Pasha confirmed they were in a relationship.
Speaking to the magazine, the blonde beauty expressed her feelings about the Strictly ‘curse’, the idea that celebrities tend to fall in love with their professional partners, arguing that it wasn’t the right term for her experience.
Rachel looked stunning as she discussed women in STEM and her time on Strictly
Rachel teased: “Are you calling my babies a curse? That’s not right!” The maths whiz went on: “If you have cracks, Strictly can expose them. It gave me the distance to make the break that was going to happen anyway.”
The star also made an impassioned argument about encouraging more girls and women to pursue maths and science subjects, saying: “If we keep telling women they’re not built for STEM subjects, what do we expect to happen? We should be championing women in these fields and telling girls they can do it if they want to.”
