Rachel Riley says she's not afraid of Strictly 'curse' and trusts Pasha won't stray

LONDON, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 13: Rachel Riley and Pasha Kovalev attend the Julien Macdonald show during London Fashion Week Spring Summer 2015 on September 13, 2014 in London, England. (Photo by Karwai Tang/WireImage)

Rachel Riley will take to the floor for Strictly Come Dancing

Rachel Riley arriving at The EE British Academy Film Awards 2015, at the Royal Opera House, Bow Street, London.

thumbnail: LONDON, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 13: Rachel Riley and Pasha Kovalev attend the Julien Macdonald show during London Fashion Week Spring Summer 2015 on September 13, 2014 in London, England. (Photo by Karwai Tang/WireImage)
thumbnail: Rachel Riley will take to the floor for Strictly Come Dancing
thumbnail: Rachel Riley arriving at The EE British Academy Film Awards 2015, at the Royal Opera House, Bow Street, London.
Aoife Kelly

Countdown presenter Rachel Riley has no fears her boyfriend, dancer Pasha Kovalev, will fall for another woman on the upcoming series of Strictly Come Dancing.

The show has a long history of dancers romancing their celebrity partners on the show, with some relationships and marriages splitting up as a result.

Rachel Riley arriving for the Strictly Come Dancing photocall at Elstree Studios, London

However, Rachel has told the Mirror that's really happy and in love.

"We are very much in love," she said, "We are really happy.  He is such a romantic - he's great."

Rachel (29) stated that she has no fears Pasha (35) will hook up with his new dance partner, who has yet to be announced. He won last year's show with Caroline Flack.

She added, "We spend a lot of time dancing in the house.  I lvoed ballroom, but you can't do that for fun in a club with a tequila.  You can do that with salsa.  It's a lot of fun."

Rachel Riley and her professional dancer Pasha Kovalev have been rehearsing their socks off

Pasha was paired with Rachel in 2013 and love blossomed even though Rachel was married for just a year to IT boss Jamie Gilbert. They split a few weeks into the show and Rachel and Pasha then entered a relationship.

The 'Curse of Strictly' began with the first series in 2004 when rumours of romance between dancer Brendan Cole and Natasha Kaplinsky surfaced.

They split with their respective partners but then insisted they were just friends.

In 2009 boxer Joe Calzaghe dated dancer Kristina Rihanoff after he ditched his girlfriend just a week into the show.

Kristina and Joe split in 2013 and she's now in a relationship with rugby star Ben Cohen who she met on Strictly that same year.

Cohen and his wife Abby are divorcing.

This year's show  kicks off on September 5th and so far the line up includes boxer Anthony Ogogo, TV star Peter Andre, Irish singer Daniel O'Donnell, BBC weather presenter Carol Kirkwood, celebrity chef Ainsley Harriott, broadcaster Jeremy Vine, former Coronation Street star Georgia May Foote, EastEnders actress Kellie Bright and newsreader Katie Derham.