Rachel Riley is every inch a doting mother-of-two, sharing daughters Maven, two, and Noa, one, with her husband Pasha Kovalev after finding love on Strictly Come Dancing.
HELLO! sat down with Rachel as part of her long-term partnership with Volvo Car UK. Committed to becoming a sustainable car brand, Volvo is working to reduce its impact on the planet and is transitioning towards being a fully electric car maker by 2030 and a climate neutral company by 2040. The Countdown star shared how sustainability is at the heart of her family life with Pasha. From driving an electric car to bringing their children up vegan, limiting their impact on the environment is a high priority for the 36-year-old maths expert.
Having returned to work just weeks after giving birth, Rachel also opened her heart on how she is coping with ‘mum guilt’. Scroll on to read Rachel’s full Q&A below…
Presenter Rachel Riley at the Volvo Studio in Brent Cross Shopping Centre in North London
How do you handle your work/life balance with two young daughters?
“I went back to work pretty early after having both of my daughters. I’m really lucky to have a brilliant husband around who supports me with juggling both life and work,” said Rachel.
“I find I’m always planning life around my children, such as where I’m going to charge my car based on where has the best play area for the children. My job requires me to be here, there, and everywhere, and I’m really lucky that my girls are comfortable with whoever’s looking after them and they have their own fun when I’m not there.”
How does having a Volvo support your mum duties?
“We got our Volvo when Noa was born. We actually found that our XC40 Recharge is more convenient than our old car because we no longer have to find a petrol station when we’re out and about, we can just charge it once we get home.”
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Rachel added: “Even when I have to drive 200 miles to Manchester for work and our baby needs a change, or a feed, all I have to do is say ‘Hey Google’ and ask my car where the nearest charging point is – we feed, change, charge and off we go. As parents, we've found it has fit into our lives really well."
The other great thing about Volvo, HELLO! discovered by talking to Rachel, is the Care by Volvo subscription service. Designed to be easy and transparent, the subscription covers servicing, wear-and-tear maintenance, tyres and roadside assistance. There’s no deposit or sign-up fee, either. Customers can even opt for a flexible plan which allows them to change or cancel their car, subject to status, with just three months’ notice.
Rachel Riley drives the Volvo XC40 Recharge, Volvo’s first pure electric compact SUV.
You drive an electric car, how else do you implement sustainability at home?
"As well as having our electric car, the whole family is vegan," shared Rachel. "We made the switch for a variety of reasons, but one of the big factors was for the green credentials. So far, our almost three-year-old eats all her vegetables and fruit - she doesn't know any different! Of course, she still gets treats and her taste of ice cream, just in a more eco-friendly way.
"I'm conscious about being eco in other ways too," Rachel added. "I wouldn't want to use a single-use plastic water bottle, for example. I'd always carry a reusable one.
"I'm massively addicted to buying second-hand clothes for the girls. Especially when they're so little, they're growing so quickly it's easy to not be precious about where their clothes come from. I love buying pre-loved clothes or shopping in charity shops for them."
Are your little ones following in your brainy footsteps?
"I am trying to get Maven into maths and numbers. I was overjoyed the first time she looked at her toast and said: "That's a triangle, mummy!" I get a buzz from it," shared the TV presenter.
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"Even if she asks for crisps, I'll say: 'How many do you want?' and will encourage her to count them out. I'm trying to incorporate maths and numeracy and fun learning games into our everyday activities and so far she's following!"
You mentioned returning to work soon after giving birth. Did you ever experience 'mum guilt'?
"When I was first commuting to the Countdown studio from London I would take both girls with me because I was still breastfeeding both of them at the time. When Noa was born, I weaned Maven fairly quickly so I would only need to take our youngest with me to work. Now when I leave for work with one-year-old Noa, my eldest will go: 'Mummy can we go together?'"
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Admitting she finds it tough leaving Maven behind, Rachel shared: "I do find it hard, especially when she tells me that when I'm away she misses me.
"However, I think it's good for your children to see that their mother can go back to work and be independent. Hopefully, my eldest won't remember me leaving her behind when I go to work, and I try not to let that feeling of guilt wash over me. I do know that when she goes to playschool, or when she's at home with her dad or when she's with her sister that she feels comforted and is having fun.
"I try and compartmentalise that part and remind myself that it's for her benefit, and it should set her up on a good path to see a woman in her life being independent. I want her to be able to follow that path herself when she's older if she wants to."
The celebrity mum-of-two leads a sustainable lifestyle, and wants to teach her children to do the same
What has your biggest parenting struggle been?
"Maven was just three months old when the world went into lockdown, and Pasha and I made the mistake of not getting her onto a bottle. She refused to take a bottle for the rest of the time she was drinking milk, which meant that she was reliant on me," shared Rachel.
"I remember filming Countdown and she'd have to come with me to the studio and I'd feed during breaks. I made a promise to myself that we'd wean Noa faster and encouraged her to take a bottle nice and early and it's been so much better for her and for me this time round.
"I do still pump but giving her a bottle just means that she's not tied to me, and she isn't left crying and hungry if I have to film on a job. That was the biggest thing we did differently and it was the most challenging to do."
To find out more about Volvo’s Care by Volvo subscription offers and Recharge models click here.