Gemma Atkinson has shut down reports that her other half Gorka Marquez is quitting Strictly Come Dancing.
Gorka has been a firm favourite with fans of Strictly for a number of years now and last weekend reached the final of the BBC show for a third time with Helen Skelton. Sadly for Gorka, who also competed for the Glitterball trophy alongside Alexandra Burke in 2017 and then again with Maisie Smith in 2020, victory evaded him again, as Hamza and Jowita took the 2022 title, with Jowita winning in her first full season as a pro dancer.
Less than a week after the final, claims surfaced online that Gorka was ready to walk away from Strictly, after another disappointment. An insider told The Sun: "Gorka has become an established figure in the contest and a name in his own right, which could allow him to go on to bigger things."
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However, as fans were left hoping that the rumours were nothing more than that, Gemma took to Instagram to publicly address the speculation. Sharing one of the articles that appeared online about Gorka leaving Strictly, Gemma wrote: "Keep being sent this. Wish I hasn’t said to all backstage crew 'see you next year' now," she wrote.
"Obvs this isn’t true at all! Same as it wasn’t true about Gio last year. Merry Christmas!"
Gemma's denial of the reports linking Gorka with a Strictly departure came after she was left in tears during the Strictly final. After Gorka and Helen's final dance, the former Blue Peter presenter paid tribute to him and how much of a credit he was to ex Hollyoaks star Gemma and their daughter Mia. And, after Helen ended her speech, the camera cut to a crying Gemma in the audience.
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