Rachel Riley's dad records 'every episode' of Countdown says her co-star Susie Dent

ok.co.uk:

Susie Dent may have been a fixture on our screens for the past 30 years – and on 8 Out Of 10 Cats Does Countdown for the past 10 – but the 57-year-old says she’s more than happy to steer clear of the showbiz spotlight. “I often get asked if I’d ever do a reality show, but I’m happiest when I’m below the radar.

Doing any reality show makes you the centre of attention and that’s never where I want to be,” she laughs. “There’s none I’m desperate to do.

I was asked to do The Jump once and my agent said, ‘Susie can’t ski,’ and they said, ‘Oh, that’s OK!’ It made me laugh.” Susie celebrated her milestone of 30 years on Countdown back in June with a special trip down memory lane. “It’s extraordinary really and it’s not something I ever anticipated when I look back to my first appearance, which is unfortunately still on YouTube. "I just looked so terrified!” says the lexicographer, who appears in the show’s famous Dictionary Corner. “I certainly wasn’t heading for a career in TV.

I was working at a publicist’s and I was just there at the right time when Richard [Whiteley, Countdown’s original host] and Carol [Vorderman] wanted to establish a full-time team.” The mum-of-two continues, “There are so many happy memories.