Countdown star Rachel Riley likens ex-host Anne Robinson to a ‘headmistress’

Countdown star Rachel Riley says working with Colin Murray is more fun than Anne Robinson, admitting she prefers his comedic edge to the ex-host’s “headmistress” approach.

The 37-year-old math whiz clashed with Anne during her 13-month tenure on the long-running Channel 4 series and was rumored to resent the veteran presenter’s insistence on having her own make-up team and dressing room.

Anne, who became the show’s first female host when she took over from Nick Hewer in June 2021, stepped down last July to spend more time with her grandchildren but admitted she barely spoke to Rachel and co-star Susie Dent off-camera.

Speaking to MailOnline exclusively about host Colin, whom she describes as a “huge nerd,” Rachel says fans have noticed the show has taken a new direction since Anne’s departure, which she likes more.

She said, “The viewers have noticed it’s a different type of show now.

‘Anne was much more headmistress style and that suits some people, and some people enjoyed it. I don’t think it’s a secret that I enjoy working with Colin much more.

“She’s been in the industry for a long time and she knows what she wants so she decided to leave and good luck to her but Countdown isn’t really about us any of us could go and as long as the letters and numbers are still there… then that’s what the viewers want.

“I’m under no illusion that people watch it for me… they watch it because they like to play the game, so long may that go on.”

Rachel admits Colin’s Radio 1 background means the teatime show can be just as naughty as the late night 8 Out of 10 Cats version hosted by comedian Jimmy Carr, and she’s enjoying seeing if her new co- star has as dirty a mind as she does. , in reference to rude words on the famous Countdown board.

She explained, “8 Out of 10 Cats also bought it for a new audience because it’s a primetime comedy on a Friday night.”

“We’re on the same level with Colin and being a radio host he’s used to working under pressure and he’s used to that environment.

“Sometimes I say a rude word to see if he notices and whether he can keep it up or not, and he’s dirtier than I am.”

Rachel, who has been on Countdown since 2008 after taking over from Carol Vorderman, says she loves her role because the flexibility of filming the series allows her to spend time with her kids.

She added, “The beauty of Countdown and the way we film it, we film three days every other week, it gives you a lot of time to do other things.” I’ve watched it since I was a kid. It is a British cult classic.

“It’s original work and I’m really lucky to be able to do it. I still love it and we now have Colin Murray in the guest seat and he’s a huge nerd. He’s a bigger nerd than me and Susie, we’re the coolest on the team now…he analyzes every round.

“But then it gets translated because the viewers love him and the ratings are really high, and the upcoming competitors are having a great time.”

Rachel, who is married to dancer Pasha Kovalev and shares daughters Maven, three, and 18-month-old Noa with the ex-Strictly pro, is feeling super healthy after going vegan.

She admits to having been “sick for ten years” and in pain for most of her adult life before giving up certain foods that didn’t suit her.

Rachel also cut out fish to help her diet and felt an immediate improvement.

She explained, “We’re all vegan in the house, and you’re just trying to do little things.

“In 2018 Pasha and I went vegan and there were lots of reasons but I was sick of eating so I cut eggs and diary and I started eating at vegan restaurants and realized the food was really good and we didn’t have to eat meat and then we gave up on fish. When I got pregnant, I just took a few nutritional supplements, and it was all good.

“I was sick for over a decade and the doctors were pretty useless about it and I stopped eating and was literally so much better overnight. I didn’t realize how bad I felt until I didn’t feel bad.”

Going green and helping the planet is a huge passion for Rachel, so much so that she has teamed up with Hello Hydrogen, a group of the UK’s largest gas networks, boiler manufacturers and energy suppliers.

The TV star explained that the government has set a target for the UK to be completely net zero by the year 2050, meaning CO2 emissions should be as close to zero as possible.

Most homes are currently supplied with natural gas, which is not renewable, and the emissions generated contribute to climate change, while hydrogen is clean and can be produced in the UK.

Rachel said, ‘Hello Hydrogen is a way of introducing hydrogen to the general public, so we’re getting used to the idea of ​​how our homes are going to change.

‘The idea is that you can replace your current boiler at the end of your cycle with a hydrogen-ready boiler and manufacturers are committed to ensuring that it does not cost more than a normal boiler.

‘For people who now have natural gas at home, carbon is released into the environment, but hydrogen is a viable option to replace that gas.

‘It matches our existing pipes and the existing radiators, there are only minor adjustments to the stove and there will be a new boiler that you can place exactly in the same place as your old boiler, but it will not release carbon monoxide so that no CO2 is released. emissions.’

Rachel added: ‘They predict that 16 million homes will have natural gas, so if they all switched to hydrogen, 70 percent of the heat used to heat our homes would be carbon neutral.

“If it were more modest, if only 20 percent switched, that would be the equivalent of six million tons of carbon dioxide, which is equivalent to taking two and a half million cars off the road.”

• Rachel Riley is currently working with Hello Hydrogen to spark the conversation about the future of home heating in the UK. Read more on the Hello Hydrogen website