Latest news with #Gorka
Edinburgh Live
17-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Edinburgh Live
Gemma Atkinson 'comes close' to marrying Gorka Marquez but heartbreak stops her
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info Gemma Atkinson has candidly shared her feelings on why she feels 'something stops her' from forging ahead with wedding plans to her beau Gorka Marquez. The Hits Radio presenter and the Strictly Come Dancing professional first sparked their romance on the dance floor in 2017 – and they've been a picture of happiness ever since. Marking their seventh year together, Gemma and Gorka, who went public with their love in early 2018 following their stint on the BBC One show, are now doting parents to their two children – five year old Mia and one year old Thiago. Despite getting engaged in 2021, the pair haven't quite made it down the aisle yet. Back in March, when Gemma was last probed about her nuptial plans, she hinted to her fans that a wedding might be on the cards for next year. When asked by a follower if they would be walking down the aisle soon, Gemma replied with a nostalgic photo of the couple, saying: "Possibly next year... We've been back and forth about registry offices/going to Spain." (Image: Gorka Marquez Instagram) She elaborated on their low-key wedding aspirations, writing: "None of us want a big fuss or lots of guests so we may just go and do it with just family and come back and have a huge party! "I've never wanted a big white wedding. More than happy with a lovely small one [red heart emoji]. We feel married anyway." However, in an emotional Father's Day tribute, Gemma opened up about the heartbreaking reasons for her hesitation to officially say 'I do'. Penning a heartfelt letter to her late father David, who passed away from a heart attack at the age of 52 when Gemma was just a teen, the now-40 year old actress opened up about how her loss has affected her approach to marriage. Published by OK! Magazine, Gemma's letter said: "I'm getting married, Dad! One day, anyway. I think one of the reasons we've not done it yet is because of you. We've come close many times, but something stops me. "I'm now the last Atkinson in the family line and if I give up my name, there's no more of us. I don't want to lose that remaining tie to you. Not having you walk me down the aisle... maybe I'll just stay engaged for a bit longer. "I think you'd be really happy with my choice of fiancé. You'd get such a kick out of Gorka being a professional dancer – you loved to dance – and I know you'd adore your grandchildren. Just like you adored me. "I wish you'd got to meet him. There have been many times where he would have benefitted from your advice. You travelled so much for work and Gorka needs to be away a lot too. I remember when Mia was born, he had to leave for a tour when she was three days old. "It broke his heart but I know you'd have helped him. I can hear your voice, saying, 'I get it pal, I had to do the same. You'll get through it.' I often feel sad that he never got to shake your hand. You only ever met my high school boyfriend. That's hard for me."
Wales Online
16-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Wales Online
Strictly Come Dancing star says 2025 series will be 'bigger than ever' after controversy
Strictly Come Dancing star says 2025 series will be 'bigger than ever' after controversy Strictly Come Dancing has been clouded by various scandals in recent years but one star is adamant things are about to change BBC One's sparkling spectacle, Strictly Come Dancing, has navigated through a series of controversies in recent times, facing multiple internal probes and public apologies. Yet, one of the programme's luminaries is convinced that the tide is turning for the beloved dance contest, with expectations for the forthcoming 2025 series to dazzle more than ever before. Gorka Marquez, the 34-year-old dance professional, who has been gracing the Strictly stage since his debut in 2016 and is betrothed to Gemma Atkinson, his 2017 celebrity partner from the world of Hollyoaks, is unwavering in his belief that the show is on the cusp of a new era. Speaking to Hello magazine, Gorka was barely able to contain his enthusiasm while divulging a sneak peek at what audiences can anticipate in the upcoming season. He remarked to the magazine: "I feel like this year will be bigger and better than ever, Strictly is always bigger than ever, every year we make it bigger and better," reports Edinburgh Live. Gorka has high hopes for the new series (Image: Gorka Marquez on Instagram ) Article continues below BBC Strictly Come Dancing pro lands new role away from show sparking exit fears READ MORE: Elaborating further, he shared: "I'm looking forward to it. I don't know much because everything is kept so secret. People think 'No, I don't believe you, you know everything.' I don't read [the rumoured lineup] I just don't read it." With two small children, Mia, aged five, and one-year-old Thiago, life is a whirlwind for Gorka and Gemma as they balance demanding schedules alongside their parenting duties. The Strictly sensation admitted that between their busy lives, there's simply no spare moment to delve into any speculative chitchat about the show's potential celeb roster. Gorka and gemma met during the 2017 series (Image: Gemma Atkinson Instagram ) Gorka confirmed: "I don't even have time to read a book. I have two children, a new dog, a wife, a lot of work, a golden doodle named Benji and you know what, I don't want to read anything because I like the surprise. So the only time that I read about the cast is when they've been announced." Due to his hectic schedule, the father of two confessed he relied on "Google or Wikipedia" to fill him in on details and celebrity facts after the cast had been revealed. Gorka says the 2025 series will be 'bigger than ever' (Image: BBC/Guy Levy ) Article continues below Recalling his debut series, Gorka described how he initially found it tough as Spanish national with little knowledge of British celebrities, but online resources soon became his go-to guide in his line of work. Looking forward to 2025's series with renewed enthusiasm, given the controversy surrounding the 2024 instalments, Gorka's optimism seems justified. Strictly Come Dancing is due to return to BBC screens later this year.
Edinburgh Live
16-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Edinburgh Live
Strictly Come Dancing star promises new series will be 'bigger than ever'
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info The glitzy BBC One show has been clouded by many scandals in recent years, with the much-loved programme finding itself at the centre of many internal investigations and public apologies. However, one star of the show, is certain that times are about to change for the competition, with the professional dancer confirming that the upcoming 2025 series will be "bigger and better than ever." Gorka Marquez, 34, who joined the cast in 2016 and is currently engaged to his 2017 celebrity partner, former Hollyoaks star Gemma Atkinson, 40, and is adamant the tides are about to change for the show. In a recent discussion with Hello, Gorka could not hide his excitement as he let slip further details about the new 2025 series. (Image: Gorka Marquez on Instagram) He told the publication: "I feel like this year will be bigger and better than ever, Strictly is always bigger than ever, every year we make it bigger and better." The pro further added: "I'm looking forward to it. I don't know much because everything is kept so secret. People think 'No, I don't believe you, you know everything.' I don't read [the rumoured lineup] I just don't read it." (Image: Gemma Atkinson Instagram) Gorka and Gemma are proud parents to daughter Mia, five and Thiago, who is just age one. With both of them working around the clock juggling hectic careers and two small children, the Strictly star confessed there just isn't any extra time for him to digest any information about the show's suspected line up ahead of time. He confirmed: "I don't even have time to read a book. I have two children, a new dog, a wife, a lot of work, a golden doodle named Benji and you know what, I don't want to read anything because I like the surprise. So the only time that I read about the cast is when they've been announced." (Image: BBC/Guy Levy) The busy father-of-two also confessed that he tended to turn to "Google or Wikipedia" for advice and celebrity knowledge once the famous cast had been confirmed. Gorka recalled his first ever series and how he had struggled with not "knowing anyone" due to his Spanish heritage, with online sites becoming very useful to him in his professional capacity. The professional dancer appeared to be full of hope for an unforgettable 2025 series and given the scandals surrounding the 2024 shows, who could blame him. Strictly Come Dancing is expected to return to BBC One and iPlayer at the end of 2025.
Daily Mirror
16-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Gemma Atkinson's daughter Mia's heartbreaking question over Gorka on Strictly
As Gemma Atkinson pens a moving open letter to her late dad on her 24th Father's Day without him, the TV and radio star reveals the heartwrenching question her little girl asks about dad Gorka Gemma Atkinson was only 17 years old when she lost her much-loved dad David, who died of a heart attack at just 52. Marking her 24th Father's Day without him, Gemma, in support of the palliative care and bereavement charity Sue Ryder, pens an emotional open letter in which she remembers the special person he was. The star, who met her fiancé, Strictly professional dancer Gorka Marquez when she was a contestant on the show in 2017, opens up about how she and and their children, Mia and Thiago, keep his memory alive. -and reveals that her daughter Mia, 4, worries when her dancer dad is working away, and asks her famous mum when he's coming home, adding devastatingly that hers, one day, never did. "It's funny how kids pick up on things. When Gorka's away, working on Strictly, Mia asks me when Papa's coming home. I tell her he'll be back but twice now she's said to me, 'But your papa didn't come home", says Gemma. "I explain that her daddy is much fitter. That we have FaceTime and mobiles now. I let her know she can get hold of her papa anytime she wants. We often visit your grave but we always keep it positive. I don't want to give her a fear of death. You wouldn't want that. " The star also reveals that she thinks her late dad would be 'proud' of the mother she's become, but adds sadly: "I sobbed when I found out I was expecting Mia. Not because I wasn't ecstatic – I was, but because you weren't there to share our joy." She also says she keeps her dad's spirit alive with her children by talking about him regularly. "I talk to Thiago and Mia about you all the time. They call you GanGan David. We've got a picture of you in the house and Mia thinks GanGan David lives on the moon and you can't get out. "She always asks us how we can rescue you. When our dogs died it was devastating, but Mia took comfort in the fact you were looking after them somewhere. I really believe you are." "You'd adore Thiago too. He looks exactly like you did as a baby. That's the first thing everyone said when he was born. People joke that Gorka has no genetics in our children whatsoever. It's because both of them are so like me and you. Gemma also confesses emotionally that she'd wish Gorka could have met him. "There have been many times where he would have benefitted from your advice. You travelled so much for work and Gorka needs to be away a lot to o. I remember when Mia was born, he had to leave for a tour when she was three days old. "It broke his heart but I know you'd have helped him. I can hear your voice, saying, 'I get it pal, I had to do the same. You'll get through it.' I often feel sad that he never got to shake your hand. You only ever met my high school boyfriend. That's hard for me."
Edinburgh Live
15-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Edinburgh Live
Strictly's Gorka Marquez talks 'most challenging' part of show after major change-up
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info Gorka Marquez, who rose to fame as a Strictly Come Dancing professional, has become a regular face on British telly, popping up again on ITV tonight for Soccer Aid, ahead of his return to the dance floor in the autumn. But it was a TV appearance in his native Spain that made Gorka realise that he might have become slightly too British. Speaking to Digital Spy, Gorka revealed that Spanish audiences complained about having trouble understanding him. He explained that, when he appeared as a judge on Spanish TV's version of Strictly, Bailando con las Estrellas, audiences accused him of "putting on an English accent". "The most challenging thing was speaking Spanish," he said. "I get so many comments from people saying, 'Why is he putting on an English accent if he's Spanish?' and I'm like, 'I'm not putting on an English accent, this is how I speak Spanish now'." (Image: Mike Marsland, Mike Marsland/WireImagevia Getty Images) He added that, while Brits might see him as having quite a strong Spanish accent, for Spaniards, he sounds more like an American trying to speak Spanish. Gorka, who was born in the northern city of Bilbao, explained that having worked on Strictly in the UK for almost a decade, when he thinks about the technicalities of dance, he tends to use English words. "Most of the time, [when] I speak about dancing it's in English, so when I help to judge them and I have to make a sentence, I translate it from English to Spanish." (Image: BBC/Guy Levy) He added that while it was a bit of a "challenge" to make the switch from dancer to judge, he really enjoyed his Bailando con las Estrellas experience. He said that it felt like suddenly switching from being a football player to a team manager, when all you want to do is to go back out and play. However, he added, UK Strictly fans can look forward to a good few more years of his fancy footwork: "I want to keep dancing, so in the UK I'll stick to dancing," Gorka's wife, British actress Gemma Atkinson, complains that, with his Spanish TV role adding to his Strictly commitments, he's rarely at home with her and their two children: "He's never here" she said, "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." (Image: Carlos Alvarez, Getty Images) Generally, professional dancers will travel to where ever their celebrity partners are based for midweek practice. Gemma says she always watches the first show of every series with keen interest, hoping that whoever Gorka is partnered with will live near their family home. She explained: "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 herself competed on the show in 2017, but was dancing with Aljaz Skorjanec, while Gorka was partnered with former X Factor winner Alexandra Burke. Gemma keeps pretty busy herself, with appearances on reality shows such as I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! and Celebrity MasterChef. But as an actress, she's known for her appearances as Lisa Hunter in Hollyoaks, before leaving that show and going to play Carly Hope in Emmerdale.
