Former Strictly contestant Rachel Riley has shared the heartbreaking event which changed the way she saw her marriage to her professional dancer husband, Pasha Kovalev
TV host Rachel Riley has said she values her marriage to husband Pasha Kovalev now more than ever after witnessing a friend’s harrowing experience with domestic violence. The Strictly Come Dancing stars first met during their stint on the hit BBC show in 2013.
Six years since they missed out on the Glitterball Trophy, they got married and are now parents to two daughters, Maven and Noa. However, in a recent interview, the Countdown star explained how seeing her friend endure such a terrifying ordeal highlighted the importance of her bond with her husband.
Rachel told The i paper: “Watching a friend experience domestic violence made me realise how lucky I am. It made me appreciate that my home – and Pasha – is my sanctuary. My friend has managed to change her situation, but the process has been horrific and it’s opened my eyes.
“I am so lucky to have a lovely home and to be able to set a good example for our kids of what a nice relationship is. We have a partnership and security and that’s my thing.”
Rachel continued to share that the reason the pair get on so well is because they are different from each other. She added: “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 sorts of different things.
“We come from completely different backgrounds, so we have a different outlook, and we bounce off each other. I have changed him and he has changed me, and we can say things openly that the other one might disagree with or might not understand, but we can always talk about things.”
In addition to acknowledging her gratitude for having Pasha in her life, Rachel has also felt a strong urge to support domestic abuse charities whenever she can following her friend’s experience.
She said: “I have become an ambassador for a couple of domestic abuse charities, because I was so shocked by what happened to her.”
Meanwhile, in March, the couple revealed how they use have continued bonding over team sports to keep their relationship strong.
Pasha divulged: “We try to do it every week, at least once a week, we’ve been successful so far.
“[Rachel] loves playing, I [had] never played it until I started doing it with Rachel, but it’s great exercise, it keeps you active, it keeps your heart going. Plus, she gets lots of positivity from it because she always wins.
“I think those things are so helpful in a relationship. Find what you like together and start doing it together, even if it’s once in a while. If you try and do so many of those things, then you enrich your personal life and your relationship.”
For emotional support, you can call the Samaritans 24-hour helpline on 116 123, email jo@samaritans.org, visit a Samaritans branch in person or go to the Samaritans website.
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
