Rachel Riley on her marriage split: ‘Strictly gave me distance to realise what I wanted’

COUNTDOWN star Rachel Riley has opened up about how her appearance on Strictly Come Dancing contributed to her marriage breakdown.

The 29-year-old amicably separated with her husband of 16 months, Jamie Gilbert, while taking part on the popular BBC dance show.

Rachel met Jamie while they were both studying at Oxford University, and they were together for nine years.

In an exclusive interview with OK! Rachel talked about the pressures of Strictly, and how appearing on the show contributed to her marriage breakdown.

She said: “It gave me some distance to realise what I wanted. Jamie and I were together for nine years and, if it was going to be forever, it would have been forever. We’re still good friends, though.”

Rachel became the fifth celebrity to be eliminated from Strictly and has since formed a relationship with her professional partner, Pasha Kovalev.

Speaking about their romance, the TV star gushed: “He’s very sweet – a lovely, old-school gentleman. It’s the Russian way. He’ll carry things, open the door, bring me flowers and chocolates.”

She added: “But I just love being with him, the presents are a bonus.”

During their time on Strictly, Rachel and Pascha had the honour of dancing for esteemed professor, Stephen Hawking.