20 March 2024 , 11:56
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Countdown star Rachel Riley has reportedly hired 24/7 security after receiving death threats from people.
The 38-year-old star is said to be using security to be escorted to and from the studios where she films, costing her a lot of money. The TV star, who is married to Strictly Come Dancing star Pasha Kovalev, has been vocal in her support of the Jewish community amid the Israel-Hamas war.
She first hired security in October last year and continues to do so due to online trolling. An insider said that it has 'been a really difficult time' for the TV star. The insider claimed: "It’s been a really difficult time for Rachel and she is determined to keep being a voice for the community.
“The security has given her that extra confidence. It’s not ideal, but she feels like it’s important," they added to The Sun. The Mirror have contacted her representatives for comment.
An insider said that it has 'been a really difficult time' for the TV star (Ken McKay/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)Last year, Rachel said she was 'terrified' in an interview with MailOnline. Rachel explained: "Sometimes I go online and I'm terrified by this overwhelming amount of people who seem to be baying for blood. For me and my Jewish friends, the pain and stress are something we are all struggling with. We are crying when we wake up, we are struggling to sleep and the images of carnage are hard to get out of your head."
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Rachel previously hired security in 2019 after a storm of online abuse. She explained to OK! Magazine at the time: "When I made an innocuous comment about antisemitism in [then leader] Jeremy Corbyn's Labour Party in 2019, it promoted an avalanche of abuse among his supporters. I wasn't making a party-political point. It was because I'm Jewish, although I don't practise the religion."
She continued: "I had to have extra security at Countdown and the stress caused my then unborn child to stop kicking for two days. In the end, I got a lawyer and we contacted a handful of the worst offenders."
Israel has been carrying out air strikes and attacks across Palestine after a Hamas attack on Israel on 7 October which Israeli officials say took the lives of 1,200 people. Hamas also took 253 people hostage, with 112 being released. Israel's response resulted in the death of over 31,700 people in Palestine. More than 70,000 people have been wounded.
The UN food agency said 'famine is imminent' in northern Gaza, where an estimated 210,000 people face catastrophic hunger.