Rachel Riley reveals heartbreaking reason she's limiting social media as a mother
Just weeks after announcing in an Instagram post that she is pregnant with her second child, Rachel Riley has reflected on how becoming a mother has altered her approach to social media.
Speaking to The Sunday Times' Magazine, the Countdown star – who gave birth to her daughter Maven in December 2019 – has revealed the moving reason that she is limiting her time spent online.
The presenter, 35, said: "As soon as I get home I bathe Maven. That routine gets you off the phone and focuses you, which I find mentally calming.
"I’ve definitely changed the way I use social media since having a baby. Being upset all day by external stuff isn’t fair on her. I don’t want her to have a mum who’s annoyed all the time.
"Now I don’t interact with trolls. If I wouldn’t engage with it on the street then I don’t need to engage with it online."
Riley has previously shared how troll stress impacted her baby's movements during her first pregnancy.
In the same piece, the star – who is married to 41-year-old Strictly professional Pasha Kovalev – revealed that since the couple are "night owls", in a typical evening they'll put their daughter to bed and watch Netflix before heading to sleep after 1am.
Last month, she revealed, via an adorable 'bump' picture, that she is expecting their second child.
Captioning two images, taken while presenting Countdown, Riley joked: "Nice being able to breathe again at work! No more stomach holding in, phew!"
In May last year, the star said she had been “enjoying” some aspects of lockdown – but admitted she felt “guilty” for feeling such a way.
Speaking to The Sun, she explained, that with work on hold, she had been relishing the rare opportunity to spend more time with her husband and their then five-month-old daughter.
Riley said: “It’s one of those things where you feel slightly guilty for enjoying aspects of lockdown. We’re in a really fortunate position."
She added: "All of our work’s gone but we’re not having to struggle in that sense. Pasha would have been away with tours and cruises dancing had it not been for lockdown so he’s enjoying time with us."
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