Rachel Riley has revealed that she and husband Pasha Kovalev are barely seeing each other as they organise their work around caring for their daughters.
The Countdown star said the couple feel like “ships that pass in the night” because they prefer one parent to be at home with Maven and Noa. Rachel and Pasha met when they were paired on Strictly Come Dancing in 2013.
Speaking to the Mail, Rachel explained that their arrangement does not always work, despite their best efforts to co-ordinate their diaries.
She said: “But we definitely prefer it if one of us is at home so often ships that pass in the night because I try and arrange work when he’s not there and the other way around.”
Rachel Riley on their parenting arrangement
Rachel said she wants her daughters to see both parents working and maintaining their own lives. However, Pasha’s upcoming tour means the couple are trying to plan their commitments especially carefully.
She has been taking on more work before he leaves, saying: “My work’s kind of like screeched up, to try and get as much done before he goes away so that most of the time one of us is home. But it’s not always possible, unfortunately.”
Pasha Kovalev preparing for dance tour
Pasha is currently rehearsing for the Legends Of The Dancefloor Tour. Five dancers, including former Strictly professional Brendan Cole, are due to travel around the country from September until the middle of November.
Rachel and Pasha married in Las Vegas in May 2019, six years after their Strictly pairing. Maven arrived in December that year, while they welcomed Noa in 2021.
Back in 2018, Pasha left Strictly after finishing runner-up with Pussycat Doll Ashley Roberts. But for him, it was the right time to leave.
Pasha realised he had been giving pieces of his heart to his dance partners.
While the hardest part was leaving the partners every year, his bond with Rachel never left.
He previously explained to Heat Magazine: “It was time to move on, and I don’t regret it at all. Part of your heart stays with that person. Then the next year, you have to find energy and more love to give to the next person. My heart was torn into pieces and given away to random people. So, I had to make one of them my wife. Rachel said it was part of her Strictly contract.”
Then, the former Strictly pro-dancer went on to confirm Rachel and he are “really happy” and that she is definitely his “soulmate”.
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