Rachel Riley has heaped praise on her boyfriend, Strictly Come Dancing star Pasha Kovalev. During an appearance on Thursday's Lorraine, the Countdown host confessed her partner has been an incredible support for when things get difficult. "He's gorgeous," she shared when touching upon the online abuse she has received. "He's just amazing. When you need a bit of support, that's when you know you're with the right person. He's a very good egg, Pash." The pair first met each other when they were partnered together on the BBC ballroom show over five years ago. They confirmed their romance a year later after Rachel ended her marriage to Jamie Gilbert.
© Photo: Getty ImagesRachel Riley and Pasha Kovalev have been dating since 2014
When asked if she still dances with Pasha, Rachel replied: "I keep telling him to teach me. When we go on holiday we dance." She added: "It's his birthday next week and last birthday, we were in Mexico and we went to a salsa club with a ten-piece Cuban band. Nobody there knows who we are, so we got in the Mojitos." Speaking about her time on Strictly, she joked: "I was never going to get a glitterball. I got a Russian, that's my prize."
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Rachel, 32, revealed that she has been trying to learn Russian, Pasha's native language. "It’s on the back burner at the moment," she explained. "I'll come back to it. But I've got a lifetime. I'm conversational, I can speak to his mum." Although their relationship is going from strength to strength, Rachel previously confessed that the couple have no immediate plans to start having a family together. Speaking to Mail On Sunday's Event magazine last year, the mathematician shared: "All my friends are getting pregnant at the moment. That's good for them, but it's currently not on my radar. I don't know about the future."
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