On Saturday May 4, a star-studded array of guests turned out to support Johannes Radebe as he launched his new theatre show House of Jojo at London’s legendary Palladium.
A couple of those guests were Rachel Riley and Pasha Kovalev, who were partnered up on the BBC series together 11 years ago, becoming the fifth pairing to be eliminated.
Rachel, 38, and Pasha, 44, have been married since 2019 and share two daughters together.
After being in a relationship for more than a decade, they put on an ardent demonstration of their love for everyone to see as they left London’s Palladium.
In one image, they appeared to be going for some full-on tongue action outside the theatre, while another picture showed Rachel with her hands framing her husband’s face
In addition to their show of PDA, Pasha was on hand to help his wife as she changed out of her high heels to slip on some comfy flat sandals.
Rachel embraced the spring season with her outfit for the event, wearing a red, white and pink dress with a cream jacket, and her hair plaited in a stylish updo.
Pasha, on the other hand, opted for a darker ensemble, matching his black jeans with a black jacket, and wearing a white, slogan T-shirt underneath.
In 2023, the Countdown star opened up about what it’s like to have been in a relationship for over a decade, saying that at times, she and the dancer can be like ‘ships that pass in the night’.
‘We have a rare date night because he’s going to be away for quite a long time,’ she told The Sun at the time.
‘But when you first get together, if they’re away for three months and you’ve only been together a month, it’s a big deal.
‘But when you’ve been together the best part of a decade and you can see a future of how ever many more decades that you get together, it kind of changes your perspective.’
Rachel was previously married to Jamie Gilbert, with the ex-couple divorcing in 2013, the same year that she competed on Strictly Come Dancing.
The TV star stressed in an interview with GQ (via Stylist) that the breakdown of their marriage wasn’t down to the so-called ‘Strictly curse’, stating: ‘No. I’m still friends with my ex-husband. He’s great, he’s a brilliant guy. We were together since I was 19 and it wasn’t right.’
Strictly Come Dancing will return on BBC One and BBC iPlayer later this year.
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