Who is Rachel Riley’s husband Pasha Kovalev and was he on Strictly Come Dancing?

PASHA Kovalev shot to fame on the BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing .

He has now he’s settled down with his wife Rachel Riley and their ever expanding family.

Pasha Kovalev and his wife Rachel Riley  have been on cloud nine since falling for each other on Strictly Come DancingPA:Press Association

Who is Pasha Kovalev?

Pasha Kovalev is a 41-year-old professional dancer known for his work on Strictly Come Dancing.

Born in Siberia, he began dancing at the age of eight and competed in the US series So You Think You Can Dance.

Pasha moved to the UK in 2011 to take part in his first series of Strictly Come Dancing, where he competed with Chelsee Healey.

In 2012 he finished runner-up with partner Kimberley Walsh.

Despite only having been a part of the show for six years, Pasha became a hit with both the viewers and the judges.

Pasha described his teaching style as “patience, patience, patience”.

When did Pasha marry Rachel Riley?

The couple tied the knot in a secret ceremony in Las Vegas, with Rachel Riley announcing the good news via Twitter on Sunday, June 30, 2019.

Captioning a picture of the two of them, she wrote: “Introducing the new Mr and Mrs Kovalev. We both said yes!”

Her announcement came weeks after they announced they are expecting their first child together in May, 2019.

Pasha met his partner Rachel – who was married at the time – when she was his celebrity contestant on Series 11 of the show in 2013.

The couple’s love blossomed after being paired together despite her being the fifth star to get eliminated.

Their relationship was strictly professional until 2014.

Rachel said about her dancer fella: “He’s gorgeous, he’s amazing when you need a bit of support that’s when you know you’re with the nice person. He’s a good egg.”

Pasha found love with Rachel Riley on StrictlyHandout

How many kids does Pasha Kovalev have?

Pasha and Rachel have two children together.

Their first daughter Maven was born in December 15, 2019.

Then they welcomed their second daughter Noa in November 2021.

When was he on Strictly Come Dancing?

Pasha was a pro dancer on Strictly until 2019.

Pasha quit the show after eight years because it was time to find a “new challenge”.

On February 13, 2019, the dancer released a statement on social media saying: “After scoring 93 perfect tens, reaching four finals and lifting one glitter ball, it’s time for me to find a new challenge and so I’ve decided to make last year – my final season on Strictly.

“I’ve had eight fantastic years, full of wonderful memories thanks to the incredible partners, professionals and myriad of behind the scenes teams who all work to make Strictly the amazing production that it is.

“The biggest thanks go to all the members of the public who’ve supported me so much over these years.”

In the 2014 series of Strictly Come Dancing, Pasha lifted the Glitterball trophy with the late Caroline Flack – they historically scored four “perfect 40s”, a feat unmatched in the history of the show.