It's only been two months since Rachel Riley and Pasha Kovalev welcomed their baby girl Maven to the world. And the new mum has wasted no time in rushing back to work as she has already started filming Countdown following her pregnancy. Taking to her Instagram page on Wednesday, Rachel delighted fans after she shared a snap with her two-month-old tot and Pasha posing in front of the iconic letter-board, which spelled out words "Maven Aria" and her baby's birthdate "15 December 2019".
Rachel Riley shared this cute snap with baby Maven and husband Pasha Kovalev
In the caption, the new mum gushed: "First block back at work done and dusted and I can still sum post-baby... phew!" Clearly relishing motherhood, she added: "Mave was busy melting hearts and Pash is a hero. The eternal on-screen pregnancy has just a month to go! Now back to family time for us, we're really loving it #newbaby #proudparents."
READ: Strictly's Aljaz Skorjanec reveals Pasha Kovalev is returning to the dancefloor
Fans rushed to heap praise on the family-of-three – with many commenting on how well the couple has taken to parenthood. "Looking good post-baby Rachel. Look at her so cute. And the love on Pasha's face, so adorable," said one follower. "They say the only man a women truly needs is her father. I can tell by looking at this picture how great pasha is with her. You all look so happy." Another remarked: "One happy baby, one happy mummy and daddy, one happy family. So much love here on show."
WATCH: Go behind-the-scenes as Rachel Riley volunteers while pregnant
The post comes shortly after Rachel and Pasha took their little girl to Old Trafford Football Stadium, where they watched Manchester United (Rachel's favourite football team) beat Watford 3-0. Sharing her pride, the new mum gushed: "Ten weeks old today and her first trip to the Theatre of Dreams!" Not only did Maven enjoy her first ever match, she also got to meet some very special people. "We got three points and Mave got to meet Sir Alex [Ferguson] and Sir Bobby [Charlton] - such a lucky baby, best day ever," added Rachel, alongside the hashtags #manchesterunited #mufc #proudmama.
MORE: Strictly's Amy Dowden officially begins wedding countdown
It's clear for the world to see that both Rachel and Pasha are enjoying life as new parents. The Strictly Come Dancing couple welcomed their daughter, whose full name is Maven Aria Riley Kovaleva, on 15 December, two weeks after her due date. They eloped to Las Vegas in May last year, shortly after announcing that they were expecting a baby. In November, Rachel spoke to HELLO! about her pregnancy and revealed how she and Pasha wanted to ensure their baby speaks Russian as well as English to honour both sides of the family. She said: "We've got baby books with farmyard animals described in Russian so Pasha is going to be on bedtime story duty, otherwise they won’t be able to speak to their grandma and uncle."
Like this story? Sign up to our newsletter to get other stories like this delivered straight to your inbox.