The one where Rachel wore Latex

Hi Everyone

   With the announcement of her recent marriage in the news, we here at S.S.n.S were reminded of the day that Rachel Riley, the beautiful Maths wizz on Channel 4s Countdown program, caused a national sensation by wearing Latex. 

   Not since the days of her predecessor, Carol Vorderman and

her legendary leather clad bottom, had pause and rewind buttons gone into such a meltdown. This was Rachel Riley, sweet, giggly, bright and brilliant Rachel Riley actually wearing Latex. So to celebrate, we tracked Rachel down for a quick chat, just to fill in the details. 

It is nearly 5 years since Television presenter and mathematician Rachel Riley appeared on the daytime game show Countdown wearing Latex. It was a appearance which sent her millions of fans crazy, however it would be one she was never to repeat.

 We caught up with the beautiful and charming 33 year old presenter to find out the background to the story.


Rachel Riley
Well it was a special occasion we had just be entered into the Guinness book world records as the longest game show in history, so I thought it deserved something a little special and I been searching around for something and there had been a spate of celebrities wearing Latex at red carpet events that year and I thought, oh interesting. But it was meeting Kylie Minogue at the Brit awards that year that really cemented the idea. She was wearing this amazingly stylish, black and white Latex dress and she told me it was by this designer named William Wilde and that he created brilliantly classy Latex dresses and that if I did want to try Latex he was the chap to see.    

    Normally there is not a problem with wardrobe, there are a few things we all tend to shy away from, but I thought I had better run it past the producers first and they did um and ah for a few minutes but, as the dress I showed them was modest and classic they Ok’d it. Like I said, there is normally no problem, they know we all have our styles and they go along, but I can’t help thinking that if I had walked out on set in that dress, unannounced they might have seriously freaked out. 

  So it was William Wilde?

   Yes, And she (Kylie) was right, he was superb and explained all about how the dress would feel and look and even how I might feel wearing it, that in my position, wearing Latex would be a serious thing and that it would not go unnoticed. He was almost a counsellor, totally wonderful, not trying to dissuade me, just warning me. 

   From then on I was really excited to find out for myself. Everything is made to measure, we had four fitting and I was so nervous each time I went back because I like a biscuit and because the measurements were so detailed I was terrified it wasn’t going to fit, but it was perfect. However I did ask him to adjust the original neckline because it was a little too daring for daytime TV, but he was totally cool and understood.  

   So were you confident

  Yes pretty much, The first time I put it on in William Wilde’s studio it was perfect and exactly what I wanted, however then they said it needed polishing. Polishing? It had not dawned on me until that moment that it wouldn’t need anything but a quick wiping over, but they literally slicked me up all shiny with this silicone oil and I suddenly realised I was wearing this incredibly sexy fetish material, suddenly I was wearing latex and the stylish simple and classic dress had become something…way more…..living, alive, every movement was now highlighted and exaggerated and to be totally honest I nearly, nearly changed my mind……nearly. 

Rachel Riley along with Nick Hewer and Lexicographer (look it up) Susie Dent 

    What stopped you

 Well it was just an amazing feeling, transformative. It was kind of like when we started making the spin off show 8 out of 10 cats do countdown, on that I could be more myself, it was a later night comedy version of the show and a lot looser and I was free to wear more my own styles and now I could bring that back for one day to the show it all started from. So I nearly changed my mind…..nearly

  So your confident in the dress. Tell us about the day itself

    When we shoot, we do 5 shows a day, for the week, which means after each show, Susie, Nick and I, we all have to go away and change and restyle as if we were coming back the next day. It’s a common TV thing, anyway I wanted to wear the dress for the first one, the record breaking show and that is usually the one which take most time because it is the first and there are lighting and sound and set checks and such things and we can take maybe  an hour and a half you do the first 30 minute show. Great, not a problem, unless you are silly enough to be wearing latex. I sweated, I sweated buckets, I don’t think I will need the gym to sweat now, all I need is to stand under those studio lights in a latex dress, because they are intense and I could feel it making the dress slide on me.  

  Now with the sweat, there comes the smell, not so much of me but of the hot Latex, which meant that when It came time to change into the outfit for the next show I smelt so strongly of rubber that I actually held up the recording for an hour because I was in the shower so long. 

   But it was not just my problem, the sound guys had a issue too, as your readers will know latex can make some very odd sounds and we have to wear our studio microphones in the top of our outfits, the wire for which usually runs down our tops and round into our mic packs, well that wasn’t going to happen in that dress, I mean I had already sacrificed my underwear because of the lines they made, so a mic wire had no chance. Anyway we used a wireless pip mic, just between my boobs. No wire no problem, however because these things are so sensitive every time I moved the sound guys would pick up this crackling latex squeak or worse

Worse?

  Susie called it Boobfart, I think she wants to add it to the dictionary with my name on it.  I think she defined it as, the low and distinctive squeak created by moist air escaping from beneath a latex dress. BoobFart

  So what were your thoughts?

  To be honest, it was nice to try but I think the dress will be going back in the wardrobe. I love it ,I really do, it is very special and it was comfortable and strangely pleasant in the way it gripped and hugged, but it was just so hot and such a fuss .Even the business of getting in and out of it was awkward, all the lubing and wriggling took a long time and then it has to be polished. In William Wilde’s studio it was fine, we had time and his assistance, but in real life, tricky. Fortunately Susie and I share a changing room so she was on hand to help on the day.

  With the polishing?

All of it, I’d have been pretty stuffed without her. 

Did she mind?

  No, I don’t think so and I didn’t, she’s always had nice soft hands.

I think on that thought , Rachel Riley… Thank you.

I had never met Rachel before and she is just as you see her on TV, incredibly bright, smart, clever, open sunny and beautiful. But a word of warning. If you are ever gifted one of her widest smiles, prepare to fall in love.

For SmoothSlicknShiny, I’m Amanda Keira Louboutin

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