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Difference between revisions of "Rachel Riley"

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{{Arithmetician|debut_episode=Episode 4733|debut_date=12 January 2009|latest_episode=Series 79|latest_date=Still going|appearances={{PAGESINCATEGORY:Episodes with Rachel Riley as arithmetician}}}}
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{{Arithmetician|image=Rachel riley headshot 1.jpg|debut_episode=Episode 4733|debut_date=12 January 2009|latest_episode={{latestepisode}}|latest_date=''incumbent''}}
[[Image:Rachel riley headshot 1.jpg|right|thumb|frame||Rachel Riley. Publicity photo taken on the old striped set, which was replaced with the blue one on her debut.]]
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[[Image:Rachel Riley_CofC_Final.jpg|thumb|230px|Rachel Riley before the start of the [[Episode 4747|grand final]] of [[Championship of Champions XIII|COC13]].]]  
'''Rachel Annabelle Riley''', born 11 January 1986, is a hostess on Countdown. She took over from [[Carol Vorderman]] at the start of [[Championship of Champions XIII]] in January 2009, prior to [[Series 60]].
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'''Rachel Annabelle Riley''' MBE (born 11 January 1986) is a [[presenter]] of ''[[Countdown]]''. She took over from [[Carol Vorderman]] at the start of [[Championship of Champions XIII]] in January 2009, prior to [[Series 60]].
  
Born in Rochford, Rachel graduated with an upper second class Master's Degree in Mathematics from Oriel College, Oxford, the ''Alma mater'' of such people as Jon Bentley and Sir Walter Raleigh. She was chosen from around 1,000 applicants when it was decided to cast a previously unknown arithmetician to replace Carol Vorderman. ''[[Countdown]]'' is her first television experience.
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Born in Rochford, Riley graduated with an upper second class master's degree in mathematics from {{w|Oriel College, Oxford}}, the ''Alma mater'' of such people as {{w|Jon Bentley (TV presenter)|Jon Bentley}} and Sir {{w|Walter Raleigh}}. She was chosen from around 1,000 applicants when it was decided to cast a previously unknown [[arithmetician]] to replace Carol Vorderman. ''Countdown'' is her first television experience.
  
Her role is to put the letters and numbers up on the board, and also to work out any numbers solutions not solved by the contestants.
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Her role is to put the [[letters game|letters]] and [[numbers game|numbers]] up on the board, and also to work out any numbers solutions not solved by the [[contestant]]s.
  
==Before Countdown==
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==Before ''Countdown''==
Rachel was born approximately 3 years and 3 months after the show was first broadcast (during the time of [[Series 8]]). She was brought up in Essex and attended Southend High School for Girls. She attended Oriel College at Oxford University where she received an upper second-class honours degree in mathematics. After graduation she started work as a data analyst for a London web design company.
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Riley was born approximately three years and three months after the show was first broadcast (during the time of [[Series 8]]). She was brought up in Essex and attended {{w|Southend High School for Girls}}. She attended Oriel College at the {{w|University of Oxford}} where she received an upper second-class honours degree in mathematics. After graduating she started work as a data analyst for a London web design company.
  
 
==Rise to fame==
 
==Rise to fame==
Rachel was chosen from a large pool of over 1,000 applicants for the job of hostess. The first stage was writing a 50-word paragraph on why she wanted the job, which according to an interview of August 2009 was centred mainly on her interest in the [[numbers round|numbers game]], and starting with 'I am one from the top'. The second part of the auditioning process was reportedly a screen test. She bought a short purple dress and recorded the [[clock music]] on her phone so she could practise. The news that she had passed came a few days later.
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Rachel was chosen from a large pool of over 1,000 applicants for the job of hostess. The first stage was writing a 50-word paragraph on why she wanted the job, which according to an interview of August 2009 was centred mainly on her interest in the [[numbers game]], and starting with "I am one from the top". The second part of the auditioning process was reportedly a screen test. She bought a short purple dress and recorded the [[clock music]] on her phone so she could practice. The news that she had passed came a few days later.
  
==Outside Countdown==
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==Outside ''[[Countdown]]''==
[[Image:Rachel Riley_CofC_Final.jpg|thumb|right|235px|Rachel Riley before the start of the final of [[Championship of Champions XIII|COC13]]]]
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Outside ''Countdown'', she has presented a few other television shows, such as ''{{w|The Gadget Show}}'' and ''{{w|It's Not Rocket Science}}''. In October 2010, she presented a tour of the {{w|Trafford Training Centre}} in {{w|Carrington, Greater Manchester|Carrington}} on {{w|MUTV (Manchester United F.C.)|MUTV}}, as she is a keen supporter of {{w|Manchester United F.C.}}. She has reportedly been watching games at {{w|Old Trafford}} since the age of 10.
Outside Countdown she has been known to have presented at least one other television show, as in October 2010 she presented a tour of the Manchester United Carrington training ground on MUTV, as she is a keen supporter of Manchester United. She has reportedly been watching games at Old Trafford since the age of 10. In 2009, she was rated 95th on FHM's 100 Sexiest Women poll. In 2012, she returned to the poll in 84th position.
 
  
==Relationship with James Gilbert and [[Pasha Kovalev]]==
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Following in [[Carol Vorderman]]'s footsteps, she appeared on the {{w|Strictly Come Dancing (series 11)|11th series}} of ''{{w|Strictly Come Dancing}}'' in 2013. Like Vorderman, however, she was rather terrible – a subject frequently referenced by [[Jimmy Carr]] – although she did stay with [[Pasha Kovalev]] romantically after they were paired up on the show.
Rachel met James when they were studying together at Oriel College. They were dating four roughly four-and-a-half years before they split for nine months between December 2009 and August 2010. James proposed to her on her 25th birthday (11 January 2011) and her engagement was announced on the 14 February 2011 show. They married on 11 August 2012, then divorced in late November 2013. Since 2014, she has been dating [[Pasha Kovalev]], who made his first week of appearance on the show in [[Series 76]].
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==Personal life==
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Riley met James Gilbert when they were studying together at Oriel College. They were dating for roughly four and a half years before they split for nine months between December 2009 and August 2010. Gilbert proposed to her on her 25th birthday (11 January 2011) and her engagement was announced on the 14 February 2011 show. They married on 11 August 2012, then divorced in late November 2013. From 2014, she started dating [[Pasha Kovalev]], who made his first week of appearances on the show in [[Series 76]]. The couple proceeded to marry on 30 June 2019, and on 15 December 2019, Riley gave birth to a daughter, Maven Aria.
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Riley announced her second pregnancy in April 2021. She later announced that she would not be present for the [[Series 84]] finals as she would be on maternity leave. [[Dr Anne-Marie Imafidon]], who took part in the [[Episode 7592|"Black to Front" edition]] of ''Countdown'' in September 2021, took her place for 60 episodes. Riley gave birth to her second daughter, Noa, on 5 November 2021, and returned on-screen on [[Episode 7718|15 March 2022]].
  
 
==Episodes==
 
==Episodes==
 
{{episode table}}
 
{{episode table}}
{{ep | 8-10 MR| 24/08/2012 | S |[[Sean Lock]],<br>Rachel Riley &<br>[[Clarke Carlisle]]| 50 - 41 |[[Jon Richardson]]<br>& [[Joe Wilkinson]]|[[David O'Doherty]]|[[Susie Dent]]|83}}
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{{ep | Cats2 | 24/08/2012 | S |[[Sean Lock]],<br />Rachel Riley<br />& [[Clarke Carlisle]]| 50 41 |[[Jon Richardson]]<br />& [[Joe Wilkinson]]|[[David O'Doherty]]|[[Susie Dent]]|83}}
{{ep | 8-10 7-8| 3/07/2015 | S |Rachel Riley,<br>[[Roisin Conaty]]<br>& Sean Lock| 44 - 22 |[[Sarah Millican]],<br>[[Rhod Gilbert]]<br>& Susie Dent|David O'Doherty|Susie Dent|71}}
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{{ep | Cats41 | 03/07/2015 | S |Rachel Riley,<br />[[Roisin Conaty]]<br />& Sean Lock| 44 22 |[[Sarah Millican]],<br />[[Rhod Gilbert]]<br />& Susie Dent|David O'Doherty|Susie Dent|71}}
{{ep | 8-10 12-1| 13/01/2017 | S |[[Stephen Mangan]],<br>[[Mark Murray]]<br>& Sean Lock| 45 - 22* |[[Noel Fielding]],<br>[[Fay Ripley]]<br>& Rachel Riley|[[The Brett Domino Trio]]|Susie Dent|80}}
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{{ep | Cats75 | 13/01/2017 | S |[[Stephen Mangan]],<br />[[Mark Murray]]<br />& Sean Lock| 45 22* |[[Noel Fielding]],<br />[[Fay Ripley]]<br />& Rachel Riley|[[The Brett Domino Trio]]|Susie Dent|80}}
 
{{episode table end}}
 
{{episode table end}}
<center>* Includes 22 Points from a bonus game.</center>
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<center>* Includes 22 points from a bonus game.</center>
==See also==
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 +
==External Links==
 
{{WP}}
 
{{WP}}
 
*Rachel Riley on the [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm3205512/ Internet Movie Database]
 
*Rachel Riley on the [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm3205512/ Internet Movie Database]
*Rachel Riley profile from [http://www.cobj.co.uk/clients/view.php?Id=63 KBJ Management]
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*Archive version of Rachel Riley's profile from [https://web.archive.org/web/20120105011910/http://cobj.co.uk/clients/view.php?Id=63 KBJ Management]
*Rachel Riley fan site [http://www.rachelriley.org/ RachelRiley.org]
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*Archive version of Rachel Riley fan site: [https://web.archive.org/web/20181008053035/https://rachelriley.org/]
  
 
{{DEFAULTSORT:Riley, Rachel}}
 
{{DEFAULTSORT:Riley, Rachel}}
 
[[Category:Presenters]]
 
[[Category:Presenters]]
 
[[Category:Contestants in 8 out of 10 Cats Does Countdown]]
 
[[Category:Contestants in 8 out of 10 Cats Does Countdown]]
[[Category:Hostesses]]
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[[Category:Strictly Come Dancing]]

Latest revision as of 22:25, 12 January 2023

Arithmetician
Rachel riley headshot 1.jpg
First appearance 12 January 2009
Last appearance incumbent
Appearances 3,628
Episodes with Rachel Riley
Rachel Riley before the start of the grand final of COC13.

Rachel Annabelle Riley MBE (born 11 January 1986) is a presenter of Countdown. She took over from Carol Vorderman at the start of Championship of Champions XIII in January 2009, prior to Series 60.

Born in Rochford, Riley graduated with an upper second class master's degree in mathematics from Oriel College, Oxford, the Alma mater of such people as Jon Bentley and Sir Walter Raleigh. She was chosen from around 1,000 applicants when it was decided to cast a previously unknown arithmetician to replace Carol Vorderman. Countdown is her first television experience.

Her role is to put the letters and numbers up on the board, and also to work out any numbers solutions not solved by the contestants.

Before Countdown

Riley was born approximately three years and three months after the show was first broadcast (during the time of Series 8). She was brought up in Essex and attended Southend High School for Girls. She attended Oriel College at the University of Oxford where she received an upper second-class honours degree in mathematics. After graduating she started work as a data analyst for a London web design company.

Rise to fame

Rachel was chosen from a large pool of over 1,000 applicants for the job of hostess. The first stage was writing a 50-word paragraph on why she wanted the job, which according to an interview of August 2009 was centred mainly on her interest in the numbers game, and starting with "I am one from the top". The second part of the auditioning process was reportedly a screen test. She bought a short purple dress and recorded the clock music on her phone so she could practice. The news that she had passed came a few days later.

Outside Countdown

Outside Countdown, she has presented a few other television shows, such as The Gadget Show and It's Not Rocket Science. In October 2010, she presented a tour of the Trafford Training Centre in Carrington on MUTV, as she is a keen supporter of Manchester United F.C.. She has reportedly been watching games at Old Trafford since the age of 10.

Following in Carol Vorderman's footsteps, she appeared on the 11th series of Strictly Come Dancing in 2013. Like Vorderman, however, she was rather terrible – a subject frequently referenced by Jimmy Carr – although she did stay with Pasha Kovalev romantically after they were paired up on the show.

Personal life

Riley met James Gilbert when they were studying together at Oriel College. They were dating for roughly four and a half years before they split for nine months between December 2009 and August 2010. Gilbert proposed to her on her 25th birthday (11 January 2011) and her engagement was announced on the 14 February 2011 show. They married on 11 August 2012, then divorced in late November 2013. From 2014, she started dating Pasha Kovalev, who made his first week of appearances on the show in Series 76. The couple proceeded to marry on 30 June 2019, and on 15 December 2019, Riley gave birth to a daughter, Maven Aria.

Riley announced her second pregnancy in April 2021. She later announced that she would not be present for the Series 84 finals as she would be on maternity leave. Dr Anne-Marie Imafidon, who took part in the "Black to Front" edition of Countdown in September 2021, took her place for 60 episodes. Riley gave birth to her second daughter, Noa, on 5 November 2021, and returned on-screen on 15 March 2022.

Episodes

# Date Type Contestant 1 Score Contestant 2 Presenters Guest Lex Max
Cats2 24/08/2012 S Sean Lock,
Rachel Riley
& Clarke Carlisle
50 – 41 Jon Richardson
& Joe Wilkinson
Jimmy Carr Rachel Riley Joe Wilkinson David O'Doherty Susie Dent 83
Cats41 03/07/2015 S Rachel Riley,
Roisin Conaty
& Sean Lock
44 – 22 Sarah Millican,
Rhod Gilbert
& Susie Dent
Jimmy Carr Rachel Riley David O'Doherty Susie Dent 71
Cats75 13/01/2017 S Stephen Mangan,
Mark Murray
& Sean Lock
45 – 22* Noel Fielding,
Fay Ripley
& Rachel Riley
Jimmy Carr Rachel Riley The Brett Domino Trio Susie Dent 80
* Includes 22 points from a bonus game.

External Links