Countdown's Rachel Riley vows to smash outdated 'blonde Essex Girl' stereotype
Countdown star Rachel Riley has vowed to take down the outdated blonde Essex Girl stereotype - by proving every woman can have looks and brains.
The 37-year-old - who is married to former Strictly Come Dancing star Pasha Kovalev - is regarded as quite the brain box thanks to her quick arithmetic and spelling skills that she showcases on the Channel 4 quiz.
Rachel - who studied mathematics at Oxford and graduated with second class honours - has two daughters with husband Pasha; three-year-old Maven and two-year-old Noa.
As a doting mother, Rachel hopes the world her daughters will grow up in will be more accepting - and she is happy to help smash old stereotypes that have held women back in the past.
Countdown boffin Rachel Riley is proving the doubters wrong (2022 Getty Images)
Rachel is married to former Strictly star Pasha Kovalev and they share two daughters (Getty Images For Tusk)Opening up to Fabulous magazine, Rachel says she was stunned to realise when she was younger that people were surprised she was heading off to study at Oxford.
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The star, who hails from Rochford, said: “I was known as a ‘blonde Essex Girl’ – but it’s not always a bad thing, because you can use it to your advantage and surprise people in a positive way.
“It says more about them for having those misconceptions in the first place.”
Taking a defiant stand, she continued: “I think it’s really important to show you can be blonde, wear make-up and whatever clothes you want and also be a mathematician or scientist.
Rachel and Pasha met via Strictly Come Dancing in 2013 (PA)“You don’t have to fit an outdated stereotype.”
Rachel recently gave an insight into her busy home life - and explained she and Pasha sometimes struggle to find time just for themselves.
She said: “It's nice to have date nights especially as we can be ships that pass in the night, especially when you have kids as well.
"He was choreographing a film in Romania recently for five weeks and he got back and straight into rehearsals.
"It's been busy, it's been different, but everything is always in flux. It would be nice, once I'm not feeding the baby and picking her up, maybe we could even have a night together but that feels like a million miles away at the moment."
Rachel and Pasha have been married since 2019 after falling for each other after dancing together on Strictly Come Dancing in 2013.
Rachel had previously gushed about her attraction to Pasha - who she made it through six weeks of the contest before they were voted out following a dance off against eventual winners Abbey Clancy and Aljaž Škorjanec.
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She said: "He's gorgeous, he's amazing when you need a bit of support that's when you know you're with the nice person. He's a good egg."
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