Rachel Riley has been supported by Pasha Kovalev as she was awarded an MBE from King Charles. The Channel 4 Countdown star and BBC Strictly Come Dancing pro husband were at Windsor Castle for the event on Tuesday, July 11.
She took to Twitter to share her excitement on Tuesday morning, posting: “On our way to Windsor… eek!” The TV star was being recognised for services to Holocaust education and fighting antisemitism, Birmingham Live reports.
After receiving her honour, Ms Riley told the PA news agency: "It's really special - now I need to earn it. The Holocaust Survivors' Centre had a reception a few months ago where there were many survivors being rewarded. Compared to what they went through, my experiences are nothing."
She said: "You go into a Jewish school, organisation or charity and often they're unmarked, they always have tight security and primary school children are taught how to hide in case there's a terrorist attack. That's not normal in Britain." Ms Riley said she would continue her work as an ambassador for the Centre for Countering Digital Hate, as she felt much antisemitism was spread online and that "legislation hasn't kept up with the speed that social media has grown".
"The King is a big advocate for all faiths and inter-faith relations, it's one of his passion projects. He was genuinely interested in what I've done to deserve it," she added. The mum-of-two was named in the New Years Honours List back in December, and thanked her fans for their unwavering support.
“Incredibly proud to have just been awarded an MBE for services to Holocaust education. Grateful to everyone who has sent well wishes and support over the years,” she tweeted at the time.
“This is very much shared with so many people who also dedicate their time and energy to fighting anti-Jewish racism,” Rachel added.
