Strictly's Rachel Riley takes drastic action before TV show where 'anything can happen'
Former Strictly Come Dancing contestant Rachel Riley has confessed that she "wrote my will" prior to participating in a new reality TV programme which involves celebrities plunging into shark-infested waters.
The 39 year old Countdown host joins a star-studded cast including Sir Lenny Henry, McFly's Dougie Poynter, actress Lucy Punch and Call the Midwife's Helen George in Shark! Celebrity Infested Waters, set to broadcast on ITV on Monday, July 14.
Rachel revealed that her trip to the Bahamas prompted her to ensure "everything is signed".
Speaking to the Daily Mail, she said: "I wrote my will before we went. This trip made me want to make sure everything was signed, just in case. They're wild animals. You're scuba diving. Anything can happen," reports Devon Live.
The Countdown maths genius has two children with her husband Pasha Kovalev. The couple first met when they were partnered on Strictly in 2013, and were the fifth pair to be eliminated.
(Image: Getty Images)
Their daughters Noa and Maven are only three and five years old respectively. Rachel admitted that she didn't inform her children about what she was going to do because she didn't want to frighten them.
The airing of the show has been timed to coincide with the 50th anniversary of Steven Spielberg's iconic Jaws film, which premiered on June 20, 1975.
At the time of its release, the film was the highest grossing movie in history and was considered a landmark moment in cinema due to its music and editing.
The series' synopsis describes how celebrities "first-hand experiences will provide immeasurable excitement and new perspective; they'll come to appreciate sharks' valuable place on the food chain and in our ecosystem, recognising that a world devoid of these notoriously terrifying creatures is downright frightening".
Rachel confesses to being quite trusting and believes the TV producers wouldn't have put the contestants in harm's way.
(Image: Alan Chapman/Dave Benett/Getty I)
She shared with the Mail: "I've got quite a rational brain so the way there I was thinking: 'How can they get insurance for this unless it's safe? How bad could it be?'
"Also, I'm quite trusting. But then Paul, who's been through the worst thing that could possibly happen, was like: 'No, don't be complacent, these are real sharks.' The killer instinct was never far from the surface."
Paul de Gelder, a former Navy diver, lost a limb in a shark attack in Sydney Harbour, Australia. He has since become an advocate for shark conservation.
Rachel's television career took off when she secured the role as Carol Vorderman's replacement on Countdown in 2009, beating out 1,000 applicants. She also hosts the comedy spin-off, 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown.
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