Rachel Riley and Anne Robinson's Countdown feud could heat up as the former and her husband Pasha Kovalev prepare to welcome their second child.

According to reports, maths whizz Riley, 35, has hinted she plans to breastfeed her second child - due any time now - on the show's set, despite Robinson, 77, having previously muted her microphone because she was 'tired of hearing her talking to contestants'.

The Sun reports that Riley - who shares 18-month-old Maven with Kovalev - said: 'When you have a newborn, and especially when you have a toddler as well, you don't have time for a shower.'

She added of her January return to Countdown: 'So when I get back to work someone will be paid to do my hair and make-up.  

'You don't recognise yourself the first time you go back because you've just been in mum mode and haven't washed your hair for a while.'

Rachel's comments suggest her newborn will be accompanying her to the studio, with The Sun noting she will likely 'feed the baby on filming breaks'.

MailOnline has reached out to representatives for Riley, Robinson and Channel 4 for comment.

It was reported on Thursday that Riley has threatened to quit Countdown unless Robinson is disciplined for muting her microphone amid secret backstage tensions.

The Weakest Link host allegedly turned off her co-star's mic after becoming irritated by the host's small talk. 

An insider told The Sun: 'Rachel and Anne had clashed for some time and for Rachel, enough is enough. She has moaned about Anne a number of times and even said she would consider walking away from Countdown if the issues weren't sorted.'

The source said that Rachel's maternity leave couldn't have come at a better time as tensions continued to rise on the show.

The insider revealed: 'Rachel just wants to be treated with more respect and she expects it to be different when she returns to filming.'  

'No one wants to lose Rachel because she brings glamour and fun to the show, as well as being an absolute whizz at maths.'

Rachel has reportedly been supported by the Dictionary Corner star Susie Dent, 56, during the spat.

Staff at Media City studios in Salford claim that off-camera, there's tension over Anne's 'rather grand ways', which have earned her the nickname 'Queen Anne'. 

Colleagues also claim Anne who presented her first show in June, 'doesn't mix with anyone' and brings her own stylist and make-up artist to the studios. 

Oxford graduate Susie who recently split from her husband of 20 years, Paul Atkins, is understood to be close friends with Rachel who went to the same university.

Anne has made no secret of her disdain for the young, woke brigade. Interviewed before she replaced Nick Hewer as host of the show, she said: 'I am fed up with it… I just think we're being told what to do by people who aren't in a position to tell us what to do.'

Meanwhile, Rachel has been targeted by hard-Left activists who have attacked her for campaigning against antisemitism in the Labour Party under Jeremy Corbyn.

Rachel said of the social-media trolls: 'They were so abusive. I've developed a thick skin but now I never see a lot of things, even nice stuff, which is a shame because I used to use Twitter to help children with maths homework.'

Channel 4 declined to comment at the time.

It comes as Clare Balding revealed on Thursday that Anne fat-shamed her on an episode of the Weakest Link, which prompted her to call the presenter a 'crusty old cow'.

Talking to Gabby Logan on her The Mid-Point podcast, Clare said Anne had constantly asked her 'who ate all the cookies?' in reference to her weight gain since her days as an amateur jockey.

Clare explained: 'Many years ago I did The Weakest Link when she was presenting it, and I got through to a head to head against Graeme Le Saux who as you will know is very very bright. Luckily I did okay and I won.

'Through the course of it, Anne had been very cutting and had talked a bit about when I was an amateur jockey, and why did I give up? I said: “look at me, I got too heavy, right.” So then she would constantly use the line of “who ate too many cookies?

'I said in the interview at the end: “Well, Anne used my weight as a stick to beat me with, but if that makes the crusty old cow happy, that’s fine!” I thought “they’ll never use that.”

'It goes out and they used that as the last line, and I thought "oh god…".'

She continued: 'Two days later I got a handwritten letter on lovely headed paper from Gloucestershire. “Dear Clare, I watched your edition of The Weakest Link. You sparkled, and your intelligence and wit…”

'It was all really nice and I thought: "Thank God she didn’t see the interview at the end."

'I turned over the page and it said: "I do hope we work together soon. With love, the Crusty Old Cow"'.