Rachel Riley reckons a date night with Strictly Come Dancing star, Pasha Kovalev, feels like a "million miles away" as she opens up about their marriage.
The couple, who met on the set of the BBC dance show, got hitched in 2019 and share daughters Maven, four and Noa, two. The 8 out of 10 Cats Does Countdown star, 38, often shares loved-up snaps with Pasha, 44, on Instagram, but admitted that in reality, the pair can be “ships that pass in the night”.
Revealing the couple only have “a rare date night" because of their busy schedules, she said: "When you first get together, if they’re away for three months and you’ve only been together a month, it’s a big deal. But when you’ve been together the best part of decade and you can see a future of how ever many more decades that you get together, it kind of changes your perspective.”
Rachel Riley with her husband Pasha Kovalev and their daughters Maven and Noa (PA)Rachel told The Sun in July that "everything is always in flux" in her relationship with the professional dancer, adding: "It would be nice, once I’m not feeding the baby and picking her up, maybe we could even have a night together, but that feels a million miles away at the moment.” She also said she needed to be "more organised" to see what days Pasha has off, pointing out: "I’m juggling so many things.”
Despite their demanding careers, which saw Pasha make his musical theatre debut last year, and caring for their daughters, the maths whizz added the couple knew this part of parenthood was only temporary, stating they were “enjoying this phase of having little ones”.
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The pair first met in 2013, when Rachel became a competitor on Strictly. Prior to meeting Pasha, she was married to Jamie Gilbert, who she met while studying at Oxford University. They married in 2012, but split up 16 months later.
Fans were convinced the Strictly curse had struck again when Rachel waltzed off into the sunset with Pasha, however she denied this was the case, telling GQ in 2019 it did not contribute to the end of her first marriage.
She said: “I’m still friends with my ex-husband. He’s great, he’s a brilliant guy. We were together since I was 19 and it wasn’t right… What Strictly did give me was distance – because I was away from home in Birmingham, Salford, Borehamwood. It was the emotional distance I needed to break away.”
Rachel and Jamie announced they had called it quits in November 2013 before the Countdown queen confirmed her romance with Pasha. Speaking to the Radio Times at the time, Rachel said that thoughts of remarrying and having children were a long way from her mind despite finding "the one".
She said: "I am in love now. I don't feel I have to get married. I don’t think I need that pressure any more. I don't worry about getting married or whether he is taking a long time in the morning or whether he has done the dishes. That does not really bother me in the long term. I feel settled." She added: "I don't feel the need to do it again. If I'm with someone and I'm happy, that's enough."
However, the couple opted to tie the knot in a Las Vegas ceremony in 2019 - because "Pasha's US passport meant that there was less paperwork and stress than getting married in the UK" - before welcoming their first daughter Maven to the world later that year.
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