Countdown star Rachel Riley from Essex will receive an honourable award at the grounds of Windsor Castle.

The 37-year-old Channel 4 presenter will be awarded a prestigious MBE for her continued work in raising awareness of the Holocaust and combating anti-semitism.

Riley was recently acknowledged for her services to Holocaust education as an avid campaigner in the New Year Honours list.

Posting on Twitter after the announcement, she said: “Incredibly proud to have just been awarded an MBE for services to Holocaust education.

“Grateful to everyone who has sent well wishes and support over the years.

“This is very much shared with so many people who also dedicate their time and energy to fighting anti-Jewish racism.”

Countdown’s Rachel Riley paid £10,000 in damages by Jeremy Corbyn’s former aide

The mum-of-two was a vocal critic of Labour’s handling of alleged anti-semitism within the party and condemned Jeremy Corbyn’s conduct while leader.

Riley is who is married to former Strictly Come Dancing professional Pasha Kovalev and has co-hosted Countdown since 2009, was paid £10,000 in damages by Mr Corbyn’s former aide, Laura Murray, following a High Court libel case in August last year.

In 2019, she explained the abuse she received on social media as a public figure during a speech for the Holocaust Educational Trust in Westminster, with her mother being Jewish.

Rachel Riley opens up home for Ukrainian refugees

The mathematician previously spoke about opening her home up to refugees, just over a year after Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24 2022.

She told BBC Breakfast: “It is so rewarding and it’s working for us.

“Our little girls absolutely love having this little boy, it’s like they’ve got an extra brother and he’s got little sisters that he looks after.

“He’s like an extension of his mother and auntie looking after them. He’s had to grow up before his years, he’s just turned eight years old. He’s really a young little man because it’s been forced upon him.

“But it’s just a brilliant thing to be able to do and we’re just getting on like one big family.”

She continued to say: “We’ve got two little girls at home and they’ve got their little boy living with us and it feels like a communal effort.

“They do so much to help out. Whether it’s making borscht or looking after the kids and they don’t need too, they’ve got a lot on their plate.”

Riley said she wanted to thank the refugees as part of the UK’s third annual Thank You Day on July 2, offering people a dedicated day for people to express their gratitude.

Riley said: “At the moment we’ve got four Ukrainians living with us, they’re working as cleaners, they’re getting three buses across London for two hours to do a cleaning job and come back.

“Last week one of their clients bought them a bouquet of flowers and our lady, she got home and she just burst into tears, because it just meant so much to her, to have that gratitude and to have someone acknowledge the hard work and effort that she puts into making her life a little bit nicer.

“It can just be really simple things. It costs you nothing and it makes someone’s day.”