'It was the last thing the marriage needed': Rachel Riley's 'friendship with Strictly partner Pasha Kovalev may have contributed to break-up of relationship'
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It was Rachel Riley's friendship with her former Strictly Come Dancing partner that allegedly contributed to the collapse of her 16-month marriage to Jamie Gilbert.
The amount of time the Countdown beauty, 27, was spending with Pasha Kovalev had left her husband feeling jealous, The Sun reported.
'Rachel and Pasha were clearly very close. The amount of time she spent with him was too much for Jamie,' according to a source.
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Strictly friendship: Rachel Riley and Pasha Kovalev are reported to have developed a close friendship while appearing on the BBC1 show
'It was the last thing the marriage needed. There had been difficulties and her spending lots of social time with Pasha.'
A friend of the 31-year-old's said he wanted their relationship to work out.
It was reported that the TV star had danced for Professor Stephen Hawking at a private bash at comedian Jimmy Carr's home with Pasha, 33, two weeks ago.
'Final straw': The pair are thought to have spent a lot of time together, which left her husband Jamie Gilbert feeling jealous
'Difficulties': A spokesman for Rachel and university sweetheart Jamie has confirmed their split
She was rehearsing with him when Jimmy messaged her with the idea, before they attended together and sat drinking tequila.
The presenter is said to have developed a friendship with Pasha during her time on the popular BBC1 show, while friends have suggested her marriage to the former public schoolboy began faltering months ago.
Her hectic work schedule is believed to have triggered problems, with James said to be increasingly frustrated at the long periods of time they spent apart.
However, there is no suggestion anyone else is involved in Rachel’s decision to end her marriage less than a month after being voted off the dance show.
Countdown's maths genius Rachel is the latest in a long line of celebrities and dancers to fall foul of the curse of Strictly Come Dancing
16 months ago: The pair married last year having met at Oxford University. The ceremony was publicised in Hello! magazine
Having replaced Carol Vorderman on the Channel 4 quiz show four years ago, Miss Riley spends much of her time filming in Manchester.
She also travels to Birmingham to film Channel 5’s The Gadget Show and spent weeks in exhausting rehearsals in London for Strictly.
A spokesman for the star, who was voted off in week five, confirmed the split. A friend of Mr Gilbert, who works for his father’s computer firm PowerDesk, said he had been reduced to the role of house husband and was frequently alone at home in Essex looking after their cats Rafa, Beasty and Becks, which they adopted from a rescue centre and to which he is allergic.
Yesterday, sources on the dance show said: ‘When she [Rachel] was on the show there were long periods when she did not see her husband. She was pictured without her wedding ring but it was because she was in training.’
Times are changing: The star spends a lot of time in Manchester filming for Countdown
Screen star: Prior to Strictly, Rachel was most famous for her role as the maths whizz on Countdown
Pasha has previously talked about the behind-the-scenes romances on the show.
He said: ‘When you put any two young people together and they are coming out and dancing these romantic or sexy routines, people are going to read more into it. It’s not always without foundation either.
‘There are lots of celebrities and pro dancers on Strictly that have gone on to become girl and boyfriend. Trying to work out which couples will emerge before it’s officially announced is all part of the theatre of such television shows.’
The couple married in August last year, having met at Oxford University. The ceremony was publicised in Hello! magazine, after she announced her engagement on Countdown in 2011.
Back in the day: The couple were pictured having lunch at a cafe in Central London in February 2011
In an interview last year, Rachel complained about her husband’s snoring, saying she had to wear ear plugs.
She said: ‘When we first got together Jamie didn’t snore but now it’s getting worse. He’s turning into his dad as the sound is more industrial.’
Their home is near her parents in Southend, leaving her husband with a long commute to his father’s firm in Sevenoaks, Kent.
The friend of Jamie said: ‘I know that Jamie was frustrated that he hardly saw Rachel and she was constantly away filming. I can only imagine that this grew worse during Strictly where he was left at home to look after the cats. I know he hasn’t enjoyed living in Essex and being so far from his friends.’
Jamie, who attended Charterhouse School, grew up at his family’s six-bedroom mansion in Godalming, Surrey, which was sold to footballer Ashley Cole and his then wife Cheryl for £3.55million in 2007.
His father David has a collection of Lamborghini sports cars and even insured one for Jamie while he was at Oriel College, Oxford.
When questioned about the end of his daughter’s marriage yesterday, Christopher Riley declined to comment, saying: ‘Jamie has asked us not to say anything so I can’t comment.’
Dance diva: Rachel left Strictly after week six
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2515946/It-thing-marriage-needed-Rachel-Rileys-friendship-Strictly-partner-Pasha-Kovalev-contributed-break-relationship.html#ixzz2mALz7qZr
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