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Heavily pregnant Rachel Riley makes rare mention of her time on Strictly with Pasha Kovalev

The Countdown host is expecting her first child with Pasha Kovalev

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Sharnaz Shahid
Deputy Online Editor
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It's been seven years since Rachel Riley and Pasha Kovalev met on Strictly Come Dancing. And while they found love a year after competing on the BBC show, the couple have kept their life relatively private. However, over the weekend, the Countdown host recalled a special memory from her time on the 2013 series to highlight a special cause - Alzheimer's Research UK. Sharing a throwback snap of their Waltz, Rachel wrote: "I rarely mention #Strictly but today I'm sharing one of my favourite dance memories with my gorgeous @pashakovalev to support @AlzheimersResearchUK and celebrate 10 years of Just Dance."

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"The waltz was my absolute favourite," she added. "Two and a half weeks to learn the first dance was a much more enjoyable experience than the two and a half days for each of the rest!!!" Despite receiving their highest score of the series, both Rachel and Pasha were voted out in Week Five. It wasn't until a year after the show that the couple confirmed their romance. In May, they delighted fans with the news of Rachel's pregnancy, and revealed their child is due next month.

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The parents-to-be then tied the knot in a secret ceremony in Las Vegas in June, with Rachel confirming the happy news on Instagram in a post, which read: "Introducing the new Mr and Mrs Kovalev… we both said yes!" Speaking about their upcoming parenthood journey in new TV show My Famous Babysitter, Rachel recently admitted that although they are "really excited" they are also scared about becoming parents. "It's scary and exciting all at the same time," she confessed.

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Surprisingly, before the couple found out they were due their own little one, Rachel had already signed up to star on the TV show. Talking about the coincidental timing, Rachel revealed that the couple only discovered they were expecting their baby the week before filming began. "I had no idea when I signed up for the show that I'd be pregnant when I filmed it... It's crazy how the universe has plans for you," she said.

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