Countdown star Rachel Riley has spoken about how appearing on Strictly Come Dancing led to her developing PTSD and how cognitive behavioural therapy helped her recovery
Christopher Sharp Trendswatch Reporter
18:05, 29 Nov 2025
Rachel Riley spoke about her PTSD earlier this year(Image: Ken McKay/ITV/Shutterstock)
TV presenter Rachel Riley has revealed that her stint on Strictly Come Dancing resulted in Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
The Countdown star, who appeared on the dance show in 2013 alongside professional dancer Pasha Kovalev, whom she later married, opened up about her experience as this year’s Strictly nears its conclusion.
Speaking to the i earlier this year, Rachel discussed how the stress of participating in the popular reality programme led to PTSD and how cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) aided her recovery, reports Wales Online.
She explained: “The stress of going on Strictly Come Dancing gave me PTSD, and cognitive behavioural therapy has helped me since.
“My brain was storing information in the wrong place, and CBT has helped me focus on resilience rather than the stress of a situation.
“Before doing CBT I didn’t realise I was a perfectionist. A psychologist called Michael Carthy taught me that although I thought everything had to be perfect, it actually doesn’t.
“There’ll always be things that go wrong, but you don’t have to focus on them. It’s taught me to brush a lot more off, that it’s good to get out of your comfort zone. If you only focus on the things that goes wrong, you just won’t get up there again.”
Rachel Riley(Image: Channel 4)
PTSD can be triggered by various factors. The NHS states that the condition can cause a range of symptoms including, but not limited to, re-experiencing the event, avoidance and social numbing, poor sleep, irritability, and difficulty concentrating.
Cognitive behavioural therapy is one form of talking therapy that individuals utilise to address their mental health struggles. It can prove effective and, in certain instances, utterly transformative.
In recent years, researchers have started to grasp more fully the influence of CBT on the body’s physical wellbeing, including its effects on the heart and how cardiac health is impacted by our psychological state.
One particular example is Takotsubo syndrome, a condition commonly known as ‘broken heart syndrome’, which causes the heart muscle to alter its shape and become weakened. According to the British Heart Foundation, this typically results from “severe emotional or physical stress”.
Rachel Riley(Image: Getty Images)
Earlier this year, the charity highlighted that research presented at the European Society of Cardiology Congress had indicated that cognitive behavioural therapy might ease symptoms.
In a statement, the BHF said: “The first ever randomised controlled trial of long-term treatments for Takotsubo syndrome…found that 12 weeks of tailored cognitive behavioural therapy, or a heart recovery exercise programme, resulted in signs of a physical improvement in patients’ condition, when compared to usual care.”
Whilst this research illuminates the influence of therapy on the body’s physical condition, it remains crucial to acknowledge that additional studies are needed to explore the connection further and reach definitive conclusions.
Clinical lecturer Dr David Gamble echoed these sentiments, stating: “These results further highlight the importance of ‘the brain-heart axis’. It shows that cognitive behavioural therapy or exercise could help patients along the road to recovery.
“Both are very cost-effective interventions, and we hope that further studies could lead to them being used to help this underserved group across the country.”
Rachel Riley is set to grace our screens once again as she features on Michael McIntyre’s The Wheel tonight (Saturday, November 29) at 8.05pm on BBC One.
For emotional support, you can call the Samaritans 24-hour helpline on 116 123, email jo@samaritans.org, visit a Samaritans branch in person or go to the Samaritans website.
