The Hits Radio host has revealed on her 'sliding doors' moments
Gemma Atkinson has revealed she almost didn't take part in Strictly Come Dancing which ended up changing her life forever almost eight years ago.
The Hits Radio host was a contestant in the 2017 run of the BBC One dance contest and was partnered with professional dancer Aljaz Skorjanec.
But while not paired together, love blossomed for Gemma and Gorka Marquez, who was paired with singer Alexandra Burke that year, with both couples making it to the final.
They went 'official' with their relationship in early 2018 after competing in the dance show and heading out on its live tour. The actress and presenter and the Spanish professional dancer later got engaged in 2021 and are now proud parents to two children - daughter Mia, five, and one-year-old son Thiago.
But Gemma has now revealed that she originally turned down the show, before taking some time out to think about whether it was something she should do having never watched the show before.
Speaking on the Sliding Doors podcast, Gemma revealed: "The offer first came in at the start of the year in 2017. It was around April and my agent brought it to me and I said 'no'. I turned it down.
"I said no because I was working on the radio and I loved that it was 20 minutes from my house. I said, 'Why would I put myself through that when I've got a really good job, I'm happy,' and I said, 'No, leave it!'"
Gemma continued to host Jennie Becker: "She came back a few days later and said, 'Hun, I really want you to think about this because it's a huge opportunity you're just saying point blank no to!' I'd never watched Strictly. Because it's on a Saturday night, I was obviously younger then and I was always out. I was busy.
"But she said, 'Can you look on YouTube and tell me what you think'. So I had a look and was like, there are some people who are really good dancers and there are some who aren't and I'd done dance class after school for about four years..."
Gemma went on to explain that she asked her agent to give her some time to think about it as she headed off on one of Jason Vale's juice retreats in Portugal. She shared how each room at the retreat had a book and hers just happened to be Oprah Winfrey's.
"My book was the Oprah Winfrey autobiography so I thought, 'That's good!' So I picked it up and I just literally flicked and the page it landed was just a white page and it had in big black writing the quote, 'If you have the chance to sit it our or dance, I hope you choose to dance'.
"Hand on heart. So I got my phone and went, Becca [her agent], I'm going to do Strictly...'"
She added: "So she then booked me and I spent the rest of the week at Jason Vale's just relaxed and thinking, 'Wow, I'm really meant to do this show. I wonder what's going to happen.' In my head I was thinking, 'Maybe it's because I'm going to win the show'.
"'Maybe I'll get another job off the back of it'. All these things going through my mine but lo-and-behold, the reason I was supposed to do it was because my future partner and future family were waiting in the studios for me without me knowing!"
