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Rachel Riley laughing as she holds hands with Pasha during their Las Vegas wedding ceremony© Instagram

Rachel Riley reveals why impromptu wedding to Pasha Kovalev shocked friends

The stars met when they were paired up on Strictly Come up Dancing

Diane Shipley
Senior Online Writer
July 23, 2023
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In a new interview, Countdown maths whiz Rachel Riley reflected on her 2019 surprise wedding to her husband, former Strictly dancer Pasha Kovalev.

Speaking to the Daily Express, the blonde beauty shared that the couple tied the knot in Las Vegas because Pasha's US passport meant that there was less paperwork and stress than getting married in the UK. 

WATCH: Rachel Riley's daughter Maven takes after dad Pasha Kovalev

The duo already had a trip planned to see Robbie Williams with friends, Rachel told the publication, and had discussed getting married after the birth of their first child

Pasha Kovalev placing his hand on Rachel Riley's baby bump on their wedding day© Instagram
The couple tied the knot in Las Vegas

Said Rachel: "If we had wanted to get married in the UK, because he's an American citizen, we'd have had to get visas, we would have had to make announcements.

"He would have had to leave the country when we were married to go back and get a visa, you know, and I was pregnant and ready to drop! But if you get married in America, you can just come over and do all that." 

Pregnant Rachel Riley taking a selfie wearing her red and white bridal mini dress© Instagram
The Countdown star has recycled her unconventional bridal mini dress

The star quickly bought her bridal gown, a stunning red-and-white minidress, in the hotel gift shop the day before the ceremony. Rachel then said that she shocked her friend who was joining them to attend the concert, alongside one of Pasha's pals, who lives in Los Angeles. 

She shared: "He was driving down and Pasha just like rang him and said, 'You know how you're always late? Well, don't be late tomorrow because we're getting married!'"

Rachel Riley and Pasha Kovalev© Shutterstock
Rachel and Pasha now share two children

The couple now share two children: daughters Maven, three, and Noa, one, and as the presenter and author recently revealed, the family may soon have another big change ahead of them. 

Rachel Riley posed with their medal after being appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (© Getty
Rachel was recently awarded an OBE

During an interview with The Times, the 37-year-old revealed that the couple are looking to sell their London-based home for somewhere in commuting distance to the city and her workplace in the north of England.

The couple on the red carpet© Getty
The couple are planning to move their family out of London

"I think we're hopefully going to move out of London in the next couple of years," she shared. 

READ: Rachel Riley shares impact of having children on marriage to husband Pasha Kovalev

SEE: Strictly Come Dancing's future generation: 16 adorable photos of the pros with their children

"Probably not back to Essex but somewhere commutable to London. "Countdown is filmed in Salford, so somewhere we can get up and down to there as well. So probably west, I quite like west. I was at uni in Oxford and my brother is there as well." 

Rachel and Pasha on the red carpet© Getty
The couple eloped in 2019

The former Strictly contestant is a doting mother and revealed that future schooling options for their daughters will also play a huge factor in their decision. 

Rachel Riley on Lorraine show© Shutterstock
Rachel on the Lorraine show in 2021

She added: "It will be a big thing looking at schools and planning more long-term as I've never been a planner. This is the first time we're going to look at senior schools to see where we want to live, even though my daughter's only three." 

Rachel, Pasha and Noa posing for a photo in London© Instagram
The couple are doting parents

Rachel admitted that they want to "get a proper family home" where her children can grow bigger. So hopefully we'll be looking at keeping our flat and remortgaging so we can buy another place, and just have somewhere stable, where we can grow older," she continued. 

Rachel and Pasha met when they danced together on Strictly Come Dancing in 2013.

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