Rachel Riley says she’s ‘nearly paid off her mortgage’ as she opens up on her Countdown salary and future plans

RACHEL Riley has given an insight into her Countdown career and home life and admitted she has “nearly paid off my mortgage.”

The mum of two, who is the maths expert on the long-running Channel 4 series, opened up on her achievement despite the less than “huge” telly salary.

Rachel, 39, joined Countdown aged 22 in 2009, replacing longstanding co-presenter Carol Vorderman, 64.

She has been on the show ever since, as well as clocking up other roles on The Gadget Show, 8 Out of 10 Cats, Friday Night Football and It’s not Rocket Science.

She also starred on the 2013 instalment of Strictly Come Dancing, where she met her future husband Pasha Kovalev, 45.

Rachel told The i Paper of her home life and career progression and said: “My Countdown salary wasn’t huge to start with.

“I’ve built up my career as it’s gone on.

“I’ve nearly paid off my mortgage, which for me is a really grounding thing. We’re in a really fortunate position.”

She added of her career: “Sometimes an offer comes in and it doesn’t even get to the money phase, because I’m just like, ‘I don’t want to know. That’s just not for me at the moment,’ but if people want to offer me crazy amounts of money, they can go ahead as we’re looking at mortgages for bigger properties and stamp duty, so I’m open to all offers.

“Not Indecent Proposal type offers though.”

Her reveal came just days after she told how she was taking a break from Countdown.

She has been temporarily replaced by YouTuber Dr Tom Crawford.

The TV star and husband Pasha enjoy a cosy homelife with their two daughters in their plush London home.

The star couple often share insights into their lovely life together on social media, giving a glimpse of their plush home interiors and child-friendly space.

LOVE STORY

Rachel and Pasha pair married in a secret Las Vegas ceremony in May 2019 and welcomed their first baby, a daughter named Maven, just over six months later in December 2019.

They then welcomed little Noa in 2021.

Countdown hosts over the years

Since launching in 1982, Channel 4 game show Countdown has become a staple of daytime telly. There have been several presenters throughout the show's long history. Let's take a look back at who has hosted the iconic show.

Richard Whiteley (1982-2005): The original and longest-serving host, Richard helmed the programme for 23 years. As Countdown was the launch programme for Channel 4, the presenter and journalist was the first person to be seen on the channel. He died in 2005 at the age of 61. Des Lynam (2005-2006): Originally from County Clare in Ireland, Des took over from Richard Whiteley after his death. He is known for hosting TV coverage of several sporting events including Wimbledon and the Grand National. He left the show after less than 18 months. Des O’Connor (2007-2008): Another Des was next up, in the form of comedian and presenter Des O’Connor. The long-time TV chat show host was known for The Des O’Connor Show and Take Your Pick. He left Countdown to focus on entertainment projects. Des O’Connor died in 2020, aged 88. Jeff Stelling (2009-2011): Known for his work presenting Gillette Soccer Saturday, Jeff became the fourth host of Countdown. He had reportedly previously been in consideration to replace Richard Whiteley. He left after three years to focus on football coverage. Nick Hewer (2012-2021): Former public relations consultant Nick was one of Lord Sugar’s advisors for 10 years on The Apprentice. He became the new host of Countdown in 2012, appearing on both shows for two years. He ultimately left Countdown after nine years. Anne Robinson (2021-2022): Best known as the original host of The Weakest Link, in 2021 Anne became the first female Countdown presenter. She left the programme a year later, having recorded 265 episodes. Colin Murray (2022-present): Before being named the permanent Countdown host, Colin Murray had been appearing on a guest basis since 2020. He returned to the show following Anne Robinson’s departure.

Talking of their relationship, she told the same publication: “Pasha is really solid.

“I’m so lucky. We respect each other. We find each other interesting.

“We make each other laugh and we talk about all sort of different things.

“We come from completely different backgrounds, so we have a different outlook, and we bounce off each other.”