Gemma Atkinson has shut down rumours that she has split from fiancé Gorka Márquez, saying their relationship is “unstoppable”.
The couple have been together for the last seven years after meeting on the 15th series of Strictly Come Dancing. They have two children and got engaged in 2021.
Owing to their respective careers, Gemma admitted that they don’t always get to spend a lot of time together, but reiterated during an appearance on Lorraine that it didn’t mean the couple had split up.
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“It was actually my auntie who messaged me and said, ‘Is everything okay?’, and I was like ‘Yeah, yeah, it’s fine’,” she recalled. “I get that people find it strange that we are apart a lot but that’s how it’s always been since we met.
“Every year, I know between August and Christmas that Gorka doesn’t know where he is going to be. I have done Strictly and I know that side of it, it’s not a shock to me. [For] army wives, their partners are away for six or seven months — they make out that I’ve been moaning [about being on my] own for three weeks, but really I am having the best time.
“You don’t want to be so dependent on each other that you can’t do anything without them, and I think that’s what’s great about me and Gorka — is that on his own he’s great, on my own I’m great, but together it’s like unstoppable.”
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The star, who has also appeared on Hollyoaks and Emmerdale, spoke in greater detail about the pair’s working routine, which has now been altered since Gorka acquired a judging role on the Spanish version of Strictly.
“The job he is doing now is fabulous," she said. "He flies to Madrid every Friday and flies back every Sunday. He’s like Anton [Du Beke] — he said he’s the nice judge.
"He’s home during the week, but on the weekends I get my space [and] time with the kids [while] he does what he loves. It’s perfect.”
Strictly Come Dancing will return later this year on BBC One, while spin-off Strictly: It Takes Two airs on weeknights on BBC Two. Both shows are available to stream on BBC iPlayer.
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Reporter, Digital Spy George is a freelance writer who specialises in Movies and TV. After graduating with a degree in Film Studies and Journalism from De Montfort University, in which he analysed the early works of Richard Linklater for his dissertation, he wrote for several websites for GRV Media. His film tastes vary from blockbusters like Mission: Impossible and John Wick to international directors such as Paolo Sorrentino and Hirokazu Kore-eda, and has attended both the London and Berlin film festivals.
