History of Rachel Riley in Timeline

Rachel Riley is an English television presenter, best known for co-presenting the Channel 4 puzzle show *Countdown* and its comedy spin-off *8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown*. A mathematics graduate, she brings her numerical expertise to the shows, making her a prominent figure in British television and popular culture.

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Full Timeline

January 1986: Rachel Riley Born

In January 1986, Rachel Riley was born. She would grow up to become a television presenter and mathematics graduate.

January 2009: Joined Countdown

In January 2009, Rachel Riley joined 'Countdown' as a co-presenter, replacing Carol Vorderman, alongside new host Jeff Stelling.

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October 2010: Presented MUTV Programme

In October 2010, Rachel Riley presented a programme on MUTV, Manchester United's television channel, featuring a tour of their training centre.

January 2012: Appeared on Celebrity Mastermind

On 4 January 2012, Rachel Riley appeared as a contestant on the BBC quiz show 'Celebrity Mastermind', with her specialist subject being a history of Manchester United; she finished in joint second place.

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January 2012: Performed Countdown role on 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown

Since its first broadcast on 2 January 2012, Rachel Riley has performed her 'Countdown' role on the comedy crossover spin-off version, '8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown', alongside comedian Jimmy Carr as host.

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August 2012: Married Jamie Gilbert

In August 2012, Rachel Riley married Jamie Gilbert, whom she met while studying at the University of Oxford.

June 2013: Marked 1,000th Countdown episode

In June 2013, to mark Rachel Riley's 1,000th episode of 'Countdown', Manchester United player Ryan Giggs presented her with a signed team shirt.

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September 2013: Appeared on Strictly Come Dancing

In September 2013, Rachel Riley appeared as a contestant on the eleventh series of the BBC One ballroom dancing programme 'Strictly Come Dancing' with professional partner Pasha Kovalev.

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November 2013: Separated from Jamie Gilbert

In November 2013, it was announced that Rachel Riley and Jamie Gilbert were separating.

November 2013: Eliminated from Strictly Come Dancing

On 3 November 2013, Rachel Riley was eliminated from 'Strictly Come Dancing' in week six, after a dance-off against Abbey Clancy and Aljaž Škorjanec.

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December 2013: Began dating Pasha Kovalev

In December 2013, Rachel Riley began dating her 'Strictly Come Dancing' partner, Pasha Kovalev, shortly after the show ended.

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2013: Co-presented The Gadget Show

From 2013, Rachel Riley co-presented 'The Gadget Show' on Channel 5 with Jason Bradbury.

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2013: Co-presented The Gadget Show & Contestant on Strictly Come Dancing

In 2013, Rachel Riley co-presented 'The Gadget Show' on Channel 5 and was also a contestant on the BBC's 'Strictly Come Dancing'.

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2014: Continued Co-Presenting The Gadget Show

In 2014, Rachel Riley continued co-presenting 'The Gadget Show' on Channel 5.

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August 2016: Joined Sky Sports

In August 2016, Rachel Riley joined Sky Sports to present 'Friday Night Football' and 'Fantasy Football Club'.

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2016: Co-presented It's Not Rocket Science

In 2016, Rachel Riley co-presented 'It's Not Rocket Science' on ITV, which was an entertainment series celebrating science.

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2016: Worked with Grassroot Soccer

Since 2016, Rachel Riley has worked with Grassroot Soccer, becoming a Global Ambassador and UK Board of Directors member.

2017: Left Friday Night Football

In 2017, Rachel Riley left 'Friday Night Football'.

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2017: Co-Winner of Rear of the Year award

In 2017, Rachel Riley was the co-winner with Idris Elba of the Rear of the Year award.

September 2018: Criticised Corbyn over Antisemitism Allegations

In September 2018, after criticising Jeremy Corbyn over ongoing antisemitism allegations, Rachel Riley stated she did not have "any party loyalties".

2018: Became Vegan

In 2018, Rachel Riley and her husband became vegan.

February 2019: Instructed Lawyer to Take Action Against Individuals

In February 2019, Rachel Riley and Tracy-Ann Oberman instructed a lawyer to take action against 70 individuals over tweets deemed libellous or harassment.

February 2019: Involved in talks to set up centrist breakaway party

In February 2019, Rachel Riley was reportedly involved in talks to set up a centrist breakaway party from Labour.

April 2019: Backed Stop Funding Fake News Campaign

According to Jewish News in April 2019, Rachel Riley backed the Stop Funding Fake News campaign.

May 2019: High Court Ruling on Defamatory Article

In May 2019, a High Court judge ruled that an article linked in a tweet was defamatory in a case involving Rachel Riley and Tracy-Ann Oberman.

June 2019: Criticised for promoting Shell

In June 2019, Rachel Riley was criticized by environmental groups for her promotion of Shell's "future energy solutions".

June 2019: Married Pasha Kovalev

On 28 June 2019, Rachel Riley and Pasha Kovalev married in Las Vegas.

November 2019: Posted Controversial Tweet

In November 2019, Rachel Riley posted an image on Twitter of herself wearing a shirt with an edited image of Jeremy Corbyn, sparking controversy.

December 2019: Gave Birth to First Child

On 15 December 2019, Rachel Riley gave birth to her and Pasha Kovalev's first child, a girl.

2019: Twitter Discussion Controversy

During a 2019 Twitter discussion, Rachel Riley was later involved in libel action resulting in a ruling in November 2022.

July 2020: Dropped Libel Suit

In July 2020, Rachel Riley and Tracy-Ann Oberman dropped their joint libel suit and contributed towards the defendant's legal costs.

October 2021: Published First Book

In October 2021, Rachel Riley published her first book, 'At Sixes and Sevens: How to Understand Numbers and Make Maths Easy'.

At Sixes and Sevens: How to Understand Numbers and Make Maths Easy: Numbers and Maths Made Easy

Check it on Amazon

November 2021: Gave Birth to Second Daughter

On 5 November 2021, Rachel Riley gave birth to her and Pasha Kovalev's second daughter.

2021: Awarded Damages in Libel Case

In 2021, Rachel Riley was awarded £10,000 damages in a libel case against Laura Murray.

April 2022: Participated in CCDH Study on Instagram Abuse

In April 2022, Rachel Riley participated in a study by the Center for Countering Digital Hate, which found that Instagram failed to act on 90% of abusive direct messages sent to high-profile women.

November 2022: Awarded Damages in Libel Action

On 16 November 2022, Rachel Riley was awarded £50,000 in damages after a libel action against Michael Sivier.

2023: Appointed MBE

In 2023, Rachel Riley was appointed a Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to Holocaust education and antisemitism awareness.

March 2024: Appeared on Panel at Swipe-Up Rise-Up Conference

In March 2024, Rachel Riley appeared on a panel at the Swipe-Up Rise-Up conference to call on Jewish students to "be courageous" in calling out antisemitism.

April 2024: Accused Apple of Antisemitism and Linked Bondi Junction Attack to Palestine Support

In April 2024, during the Gaza war, Rachel Riley accused Apple of antisemitism regarding an iPhone update and, after the Bondi Junction stabbings, linked the attack to support for Palestine, which was "heavily accused of perpetuating Islamophobia".