Rachel Riley Left Embarrassed As Boyfriend Spells 'Bumhole' On 'Countdown'

Let's face it, if you're reading this from anywhere other than an old people's home, you only watch Countdown on the off chance that they spell out something rude. Even then, you know that anything particularly funny is going to have been cut and is destined only to turn up on TV blooper shows.

If you were watching yesterday, however, you were in for a treat. Rachel Riley, the modern day Carol Vorderman, was at the board as usual, consonants and vowels in hand, while in Dictionary Corner was her boyfriend, Russian dancer Pasha Kovalev.

Pasha was faced with 'HMWOIUEBL', from he managed to unscramble an interesting, if unorthodox seven-letter effort - 'bumhole'.

Presenter Nick Hewer found the funny side of it and Susie Dent, master of Dictionary Corner, was more than happy to allow it - bumhole is in the dictionary, after all.

Channel Four

Riley later tweeted her embarrassment, writing "When your boyfriend spots an opening to play a cheeky seven. I may have been laughing too much for the board shot to make the edit."

In a later tweet, she added: "One day I'll grow up enough not to laugh at this, but for now, it's officially funny."

This isn't the first time that Pasha Kovalev has skated along the bounds of decency on Countdown. On his last appearance, he managed to make the word 'phallus' from his letters.

Which is pretty impressive, given that he's working in his second language (and indeed, second alphabet) and the majority of viewers might not have managed the word for an artistic representation of a penis. What a clever dick he is.

Of course, it's not the first time 'bumhole' has made an appearance on Countdown either - Susie Dent herself offered up the word back in 2016.

Riley and Kovalev have been an item ever since she starred on Strictly Come Dancing back in 2014 and the pair have since moved in together in London.

The pair stand in a long line of Strictly hookups, with rugby star Ben Cohen and his partner Kristina Rihanoff, and actress Georgia May Foote and her dance partner Giovanni Pernice all pairing off once the tango had ended, while dancer Flavia Cacace has had romances with two of her celebrity partners, Matt Di Angelo and Jimi Mistry.

Topics: TV and Film, Countdown

Mike Wood

Mike Meehall Wood is a freelance journalist and translator. He writes for LADbible, VICE and countless sports publications, focusing on rugby league, football and boxing. He is a graduate of Leeds University and maintains a fizzy pop obsession. Contact Mike at [email protected]