‘Russian people are great and I love the food’
Why Countdown queen Rachel Riley has World Cup fever…
Are you enjoying the World Cup?
I’m a huge footie fan and I’m genuinely excited it’s in Russia. I went for the first time a few weeks ago to Moscow and St Petersburg and they had the big countdown to it on display. Unfortunately when we were there they were making all the landmarks beautiful, so they were covered in scaffolding.
Was Russia what you expected?
It’s completely different from what you hear on the news. The people are great and are kind of switched off politics. Wherever you look there are reminders of their history, from Lenin to Stalin, and the feeling is they’ve had so much worse in their time that they turn off from it.
What was your rst impression when you hit the ground?
Beautiful, clean, modern and convenient! The underground train stations are like palaces with paintings, mosaics and chandeliers. We went to Moscow first and – especially in the centre – everything is huge and beautiful and open all hours.
What about the food?
I love the food. Through Pasha (Kovalev, Rachel’s partner and Strictly pro dancer) I’d heard a lot about Russian food. I went to a huge buffet once and had to take a picture because it was full of all the local big hitters. All the pickles you could want, buckwheat, salads and my favourite dish, which when translated means herring in a fur coat. It’s delicious.
‘We had caviar with our vodka’
Did you drink vodka?
I did. Over there it’s culturally a male thing but we don’t buy into that kind of stuff, do we? And you have to try. When in Russia… We had blinis and sour cream and caviar with it.
You seem to have the lingo down pat, too!
I started learning about three years ago. We’re used to people coming to the UK and speaking English, so we don’t give them enough credit. In Russia, because I was a foreigner speaking Russian, which they don’t get a lot, everyone was wanting to help.
You and Pasha are off on your travels again this summer before he starts Strictly…
We’re seeing his mum and taking my parents on a cruise around the coast of Croatia. His mum doesn’t speak English and my mum doesn’t speak Russian so they bond over Youtube videos of cats. It’s hilarious. It’s like being caught up in a constant game of charades!