Rachel Riley has returned to her classic Countdown bob, nearly two decades after first debuting the look—and fans are loving it.
The TV presenter shared the fresh haircut on Instagram alongside a throwback photo from her early days on Countdown, writing: “New hair, don’t care! Well, when I say new, back to the bob! 17 years between these pics, but I haven’t changed a bit, have I?!”
While the remark was tongue-in-cheek, many followers agreed she looked nearly identical. One fan commented, “You look exactly the same—absolutely stunning,” while another praised the shorter cut: “The bob looks fabulous. I prefer your hair shorter.” The sleek, cheekbone-skimming length highlights Riley’s oval face shape and gives a modern twist to her timeless look.
Bobs are currently enjoying a major comeback, with celebrities like Victoria Beckham and Oti Mabuse also embracing the short style. Riley’s new choppy bob shows that her original look was ahead of its time and still works beautifully today.
But her beauty week wasn’t without hiccups. In a follow-up post titled “Epic Human Drumstick Fail,” Riley revealed a sunburn mishap during a recent trip to Germany. She attended an outdoor ceremony in Bergen-Belsen wearing a T-shirt—and forgot sunscreen. The result: bright red arms exposed by a sleeveless dress on a filming day.
Backstage, she shared the damage with her makeup team. “Now she has to color me in,” Riley joked, showing the sunburned skin. Her glam squad, whom she called “geniuses,” applied instant tan to try to blend the redness, but even their best efforts couldn’t fully cover it.
The solution? A last-minute change into a dress with sleeves. “Literally, I couldn’t wear that dress. After layers of professional makeup, I still look like a drumstick,” she admitted with a laugh.
From a flawless haircut to a relatable beauty blunder, Riley proved once again she’s as down-to-earth as ever—even with 17 years of TV glamour behind her.
