Former Hollyoaks actress Gemma Atkinson has opened up about her partner Gorka Marquez’s hectic schedule, joking that he’s “never here” due to his commitments with Strictly Come Dancing.
Gemma first crossed paths with the Spanish professional dancer when she took part in hit BBC show Strictly back in 2017. Despite being paired with Aljaz Skorjanec and finishing as a runner-up, it was Gorka who captured her heart.
During an appearance on the Parenting Hell podcast, Gemma shared how Gorka’s packed timetable for the show means he’s rarely at home.
She quipped: “He’s never here, yeah. It’s Strictly from July to December. If they get a partner, they’re based where their partner is in the week. Obviously London at the weekend.”
She went on to explain how the pro dancers are required to travel to their celebrity partners for training, leading her to eagerly anticipate the line-up announcement each year.
Gemma confessed: “So every time the line-up’s announced, all I do, I think, ‘I don’t care who it is’. I just Google where they live. If they’re in Manchester, I’m like, ‘great’.”
Gemma, who once dated footballer Cristiano Ronaldo back in 2007 while he was playing for Manchester United, later found love with Gorka after meeting him on Strictly. They got engaged after their stint on the dance show and are now proud parents to two children, Mia, born in 2019, and Thiago, born four years later, reports Edinburgh Live.
Gemma made it all the way to the final in 2017 but just missed out on the coveted Glitterball trophy, losing out to actor Joe McFadden and his partner Katya Jones.
That wasn’t the first time she missed out on winning a reality TV show as 10 years earlier, she was beaten to the Celebrity MasterChef title by Nadia Sawalha.
That same year, in 2007, she placed fifth overall in I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!, the title that year being won by acting legend Christopher Biggins.
However, Gemma is perhaps most recognised for her acting roles. She kicked off her career in the industry back in 2001 when she landed the role of Lisa Hunter in Hollyoaks, a character she played until 2005. Fans were thrilled when she briefly reprised the role in 2022.
Soap enthusiasts will also remember Gemma from another beloved show, Emmerdale, where she portrayed Carly Hope from 2015 to 2017.