rachel riley

Countdown's Rachel Riley displays burgeoning baby bump at fashion launch

The Countdown host is pregnant with her first child

Deputy Online Editor
September 20, 2019

Rachel Riley looked every inch the glowing mother-to-be as she attended a fashion launch on Thursday evening. Dressed in a blue floral midi number, the Countdown host - who is pregnant with her first child with Strictly Come Dancing star Pasha Kovalev - proudly displayed her blossoming baby bump as she mingled with guests at the launch of Rachel Riley's collaboration with the children's charity, Theodora. She was joined by the likes of Nicky Clarke's wife Kelly Simpkin, Adam Garcia, Serena Hood and of course, designer Rachel Riley.

Rachel Riley with Kelly Simpkin at the Rachel Riley launch

It's been a very exciting time for Rachel, who wed her long-term partner, professional dancer Pasha Kovalev in June. The couple's first child is due in December. However, earlier this week, Rachel revealed that at one point her baby stopped moving due to the stress caused by social media trolling. The 33-year-old has confessed that her baby had been "wiggling" and "kicking" as expected but ahead of the release of a BBC Panorama documentary that was damning of the Labour party, and that she had publicly endorsed, things took an "ugly" turn.

MORE: Rachel Riley shows off blossoming bump in a series of dresses for Countdown special

The Countdown host with designer Rachel Riley

She told The Mirror: "I was very stressed and upset and my baby stopped wriggling for a couple of days. At that point you think, 'Nah'. I realised that however mentally strong I am, there's adrenalin, there's hormones that go through your body and now I'm sharing them, I absolutely don't need to give that to my baby." Earlier this year, Rachel admitted she had been given extra security at work due to the online abuse she had received in response to her comments about anti-Semitism. "The more I speak, the more abuse I get, and the more abuse I get, the more I speak," she told The Times.

Exclusive: Andy Murray opens up about fatherhood and reveals future aspirations for his kids

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