Can I have a vow please, Rachel?
IT is supposed to be the ultimate expression of love, saying your vows in front of all your friends and family on the happiest day of your life.
But is marriage really so important any more?
Not according to Countdown’s gorgeous maths whizz Rachel Riley, it seems. She says she doesn’t feel the need to tie the knot with Strictly Come Dancing star Pasha Kovalev as she simply doesn’t need the pressure. Of course, maybe she’s genuinely happy not having any plans to get hitched – and let’s face it, you’d be quite content if you were going out with someone as hunky as Pasha. Or maybe she’s just tired of people asking... Women obviously shouldn’t feel compelled to wed a man these days. And Rachel has already been married once. Yet there’s a bit of me that still wonders why she doesn’t seem to feel any motivation to tie the knot again. Maybe she feels she’s had her fingers burned. But as a woman who’s been happily married to husband number two for almost 12 years, and had two beautiful kids with him, I’ve realised it really is a second chance of happiness. I know it’s not straightforward. When I split from my first husband I was utterly heartbroken and it took me a long time to recover. The fact that the marriage hadn’t lasted long added to my sense of failure.
Maybe it’s a similar story for Rachel too.
She was married to Jamie Gilbert, a fellow student at Oxford University, for just 16 months. They split in 2013, branded another victim of the “Curse of Strictly” as Rachel was partnering Pasha on the show at the time.
But however hard it is to get over something like that, taking a risk is part and parcel of falling in love again, making a commitment and moving on.
It was just a year between meeting my husband, Derek Draper, and tying the knot with him and I think one of the reasons it happened so quickly was that I knew he was very traditional. He made it clear he wanted marriage and not something casual.
It forced me to face my demons from the past and think through whether the relationship really was right, in a way that jogging along living together wouldn’t have.
Rachel and Pasha met almost four years ago on Strictly... though it’s believed their relationship only started after the show ended.
When you’ve been in a relationship for that long without getting engaged, or even talking about a wedding, you can’t help but wonder if it’s marriage you’re unsure about, or the person you’re potentially spending the rest of your life with?
I am sure Rachel and Pasha are just enjoying living in the moment right now but if ever they feel like taking the plunge, I’d say go for it.
Second marriages are great and, anyway, just think how good their first dance would be!
Taking a risk is part and parcel of falling in love again