Top 100 Quotes & Sayings by Rachel Riley

I was used to Essex boys growing up. Russian boys are a lot more gentlemanly and thoughtful. They will express their emotions a bit more.

You sit men and women down and give them a maths test, and they will do fairly equally. Then you set up the same test, but with different people, and make them tick a box to say whether they are a man or a woman, and the women do significantly worse in the maths test than they did previously in a group set.

Even though you picture Russians as stoic, their language is really poetic.

I don't think you need to get married necessarily. Girls just assume they will get married and have babies, but that isn't the right thing for everyone.

My parents supported me through university, and after I graduated, I got a job as an analyst at a price comparison website called TotallyMoney.com.

Maths is like learning a language: you need to learn the basics to get going, but a lot of adults go into blind panic about numbers and switch off.

I enjoy things that are relevant to me, like maths and science and 'Countdown,' and I don't want to offend our viewers.

Some of the words that pop up on the show have had terrible connotations. But that's the beauty of 'Countdown.'

For a long time, I thought, 'I'm not a TV presenter,' but now I realise there's no typical route into this business.

Maths is the language of science.

When you're out shopping, try to calculate the discount of something in the sales, or work out how much a bill in a restaurant will come to. Your brain is just like any other muscle - you have to train it to make it work faster.

When I was little, I carried a book of times tables around everywhere and always tried to get the best score. I like the fact that you don't need any tools, only your head. I also enjoy rules and, with maths, you are either right or wrong.

I would have never dreamt in a million years I would go out with a ballroom dancer from Russia, as, when we were younger, we did not even speak the same language.

My biggest vice? Vegan cupcakes, which are delicious.

I always say the side of me I show on 'Countdown' is the side I'd show to my gran.

I'm really lucky to be in the TV industry and to have a regular yearly contract. That gives me security.

I was with my ex-husband for eight or nine years, and we became good friends. I met him at university, and our relationship ended. We are still good friends.

From my personal experience, because I'm in a relationship, on paper I would never have imagined - I'm an Essex girl, maths geek who likes football, and I've ended up with a Russian ballroom dancer, and I guess the things you think are important, especially when you're younger, turn out not to be.

Russian is a really hard language - but I've got my own personal teacher. He's been really patient.

I didn't realise until I did CBT that I was a perfectionist. Whenever you do anything, there are always going to be things that go wrong, it's never going to be 100 per cent perfect. Because of how I was, I'd focus on those bits and always see the negative in anything.

It's always flattering when you get compliments, but it's more of a measure of who you are at the time than anything else.

As soon as I am out of my work clothes, I am in flat shoes, stretchy leggings, and a cashmere jumper; it's all low maintenance.

I love that once you know the basic rules of maths, you can do whatever you want with it.

The brain is muscle. If you don't exercise it, it will get slow.

I like a challenge. I like doing things that scare me.

People have got their opinions, and you can't please everyone.

I think we've come a long way with women's rights, but we've got a long way to go.

My parents encourage me to save, but I do buy the odd thing that I wouldn't tell them about.

I have never been graceful, never been elegant.

I am lucky because I often get my makeup done by professionals, and they always try new ideas; I'll attempt to vaguely recreate what they've done.

Without 'Countdown,' I'd probably still be a data analyst in London.

There's an ingrained mentality in our culture that women aren't as good. Other places, it doesn't exist.

I think there is a real negative attitude to splitting up with someone in our society, but it is good to stay friends.

I never Google myself because that way madness lies.

I'm really interested in male and female brains and whether female brains or male brains are better at maths.

I'm at my most fulfilled challenging myself with something that scares me.

Practising maths can be fun.

There's no reason for men to be better at maths than women - it's just about our perception.

I am really surprised that what I am wearing on 'Countdown' has got into the papers.

We go to the banya, the Russian spa. And you go into the sauna, which is really hot, much hotter than a normal sauna, and then they beat you with branches.

I cycle, especially in warm weather. If I have a meeting in town, I would rather cycle than go by car.

I am always running late for absolutely everything; my hair's the last thing I do because I am terrible at it.

I take vitamin C and zinc every day to keep colds at bay. I also take calcium tablets to supplement my lack of dairy, and d-mannose, a cranberry extract thought to be good for women's health.

I've always been clumsy, the one who knocks glasses over.

I only applied for 'Countdown' as a bit of a laugh while applying for lots of other graduate jobs. I've had some amazing opportunities, and I've loved every minute.

I have had a problem with food intolerance since I was eight.

I'd love to present a popular science programme because it's something I feel very passionate about.

In TV, you get so many different opportunities, and especially, you get to try something different you don't get to do as a normal person, then great.

When I first started, I tried to wear things I thought a 'Countdown' presenter should wear.

You can have your opinions, and you can share them with your friends, but why would you go online to tell a stranger something random about their appearance? I don't get that.

I like American late-night shows, like Trevor Noah, John Oliver and Bill Maher - I've got them all on series link.

There is no time you should shut the doors, as there is always love out there for you.

I've had inquiries for things like TV show 'Splash,' where people go out in front of the whole nation in a bikini. But I think bikinis are just for the beach.

I'm a massive football fan, so when Ladbrokes approached me and asked me to take a look at the statistics, I jumped at the chance.

I don't see myself with or without children - whatever will be, will be.

Maths is like a ladder - if you miss the first few rungs, you can't jump up, so start with the basics.

CBT really helped me, and I would recommend it to anyone.

If I'm with someone, and I'm happy, that's enough.

More than other subjects, there's a myth that you have to be an absolute genius to be good at maths and to enjoy it, so I think it's less accessible for people. Even the word 'maths' makes people screw their face up. They do the maths face.

The me on '8 Out Of 10 Cats' is the side I'd show to my mates.