Former Hollyoaks star Gemma Atkinson has opened up on her relationship with partner Gorka Marquez and the impact his Strictly Come Dancing schedule has on their family life
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Former Hollyoaks actress Gemma Atkinson has candidly shared her frustrations about her partner Gorka Marquez's absence at home due to his commitment to Strictly Come Dancing.
The pair met on the dancing competition in 2017, with Gemma finishing as runner-up while partnered with Aljaz Skorjanec.
While speaking on the Parenting Hell podcast, Gemma revealed the impact of Gorka's hectic Strictly schedule on their household. She said: "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."
Gemma also discussed the annual Strictly line-up reveal and her particular approach to it, which hinges on geographical convenience for their family life.
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Gemma said her partner Gorka Marquez has a packed schedule with Strictly (Image: Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images) She added: "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."
Previously romantically linked to footballer Cristiano Ronaldo back in 2007 when he played for Manchester United, Gemma eventually got engaged to Gorka after they connected during Strictly Come Dancing.
The couple, who first crossed paths eight years ago, have two children together. Mia was born in 2019, and Thiago arrived four years later.
![LONDON, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 10: Gemma Atkinson and Gorka Marquez attend the TV Choice Awards at The Dorchester on September 10, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Jeff Spicer/Getty Images)]()
Gemma and Gorka first met whilst competing against each other in Strictly Come Dancing in 2017 (Image: Jeff Spicer, Getty Images) Although Gemma and Gorka met on the show, they weren't actually dance partners during the competition. Gemma was paired with Aljaz Skorjanec, while Gorka danced with former X Factor champion Alexandra Burke.
Gemma made it to the final but narrowly missed out on the Glitterball trophy, which was won by actor Joe McFadden and his partner Katya Jones.
Strictly wasn't Gemma's only venture into reality TV. She has since appeared in a range of other reality shows over the years, including I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! and Celebrity MasterChef.
Her runner-up finish on Strictly in 2017 wasn't her first taste of reality TV success, having previously finished second to Loose Women's Nadia Sawalha in Celebrity MasterChef
However, Gemma is perhaps most recognised for her acting roles. She began her career in the industry in 2001 when she landed the role of Lisa Hunter in Hollyoaks, a character she played until 2005 and briefly reprised in 2022.
Many soap fans will also recall Gemma from her stint on Emmerdale, where she portrayed Carly Hope from 2015 to 2017.
