Strictly’s Gorka Marquez addresses future on show following family reunion
Gorka Marquez is no doubt busy preparing the perfect Christmas for his two children Mia, four, and Thiago, four months, alongside his fiancee, Gemma Atkinson, who he met on the set of Strictly Come Dancing back in 2017.
The Spanish dancer has recently reunited with his family following the end of the current series of Strictly Come Dancing, and there has been some speculation about whether the star will return when the show comes back in 2024. During a fan Q+A, Gorka told a follower that he intended to return to the next series, although he admitted it was out of his hands.
“I get ask[ed] this a lot!” the father-of-two responded. “I hope so, it’s not my decision but I would love to!! [It] is the best show on TV and I am grateful to have the chance to be [a] small part of it.”
This year, Gorka was eliminated in the show’s third week after he and celebrity partner Nikita Kanda ended up in the bottom two against Love Island star Zara McDermott and dancer Graziano Di Prima.
At the time of their elimination, Gorka said: “I am beyond proud of her [Nikita], for someone that doesn’t have any dance experience or performance experience to come on this show and dance in front of millions of people – for three weeks, I think it’s incredible.
“You should be very proud of yourself, you have never let me down and I am very proud of you. This show is going to teach you so many things about yourself that you can take with you and I take incredible memories. I’ve never laughed so much in three weeks than I did with you!”
In previous years, Gorka has reached the final with Alexandra Burke, Maisie Smith and Helen Skelton, but has also faced early eliminations with Tameka Empson, Katie Piper and Katie McGlynn.
As for his personal life, Gorka has been engaged to former Hollyoaks star Gemma Atkinson since 2020, with the dancer proposing on Valentine’s Day.
The pair are still planning their big day, but Gemma has previously revealed her intentions to take her fiance’s surname. Speaking on her podcast, The Overshare, she explained: “He [Gorka] just says ‘I would love the fact that we’ve all got the same name. It’s a family unit’ where I see the fact that we’ve had two babies is more of a commitment than just me having his name.
In my case, we will get married, but it won’t change how I feel for him,” she added. “I love him so much anyway, whereas he sees it as I’m going to love her so much more. And I think how can you love me more? I mean, nothing’s going to change other than we will have the same name. But it’s so much more significant for him.”
source: hellomagazine.com
