Countdown star Rachel Riley was left blushing when she was presented with a bouquet of flowers to mark her 1,000th appearance on the daytime quiz show – by surprise guest Ryan Giggs.
The TV show presenter – who is a Manchester United fan – will be seen receiving a signed shirt and flowers from the Welsh midfielder when he makes an appearance on Tuesday's programme.
She posted a picture of the pair on Twitter, sharing her excitement with her fans: "@C4Countdown: Exciting! @RachelRileyRR celebrates 1000 progs Surprise visit #RyanGiggs @ManUtd_PO Tues... it WAS real!"
Rachel, 27, who was visibly stunned when she saw the footballer, hadn't even realised that she had reached the landmark figure of shows until the presenter Nick Hewer told her.
The maths whizz told the Daily Mirror: "I had no inkling that I had just filmed my 1,000th episode when Nick announced it on the show, and I was touched that the Countdown team had surprised me with the news. "As Nick continued, I thought they might have got me a bunch of flowers. But I nearly fell through the floor when Ryan Giggs suddenly appeared with some." Rachel – who replaced Carol Vorderman on the Channel 4 series which she joined in 2009 – added: "As a lifelong red, I’ve watched Giggsy rack up 1,000-plus appearances since I was five so there couldn’t have been a more special way to celebrate mine. "I'm really privileged to have a job that I love working on and on such an iconic show. I can't thank the team and Ryan enough for such an amazing surprise.
My signed 'Riley 86' shirt will be taking pride of place at home.” Footballer Ryan's surprise appearance on the show was in keeping with the numbers game of Countdown. He reached a similar milestone in March – his 1,000th Man Utd game.
