Gemma Atkinson has revealed the heartbreaking reason she doesn’t want daughter Mia to do ballet.
The 38-year-old actress, who is currently pregnant with her second baby, took to Instagram to share her fears for the three-year-old she shares with Strictly star Gorka Marquez.
She said: “I’ve just booked Mia’s first dance classes. She’s going to start on Saturday. I booked street and hip hop, but Gorka says she needs ballet.”
Her pro dancer partner Gorka then cut in saying: “She has to do both, it’s the base.
“If she does ballet it will be better for the rest. It will teach her the posture, how to use her feet."
But Gemma insisted she didn’t want Mia to do it because of her own bad experience taking dance classes.
She then revealed a former dance teacher has told her she was ‘too big for ballet’ when she was a child.
Explaining what happened, Gemma said: “It’s just because I was told I was too big for ballet and I don’t want Mia to be told that.
“Because I’m so big built, my fear is she’ll get the mentality of wanting to be small.
“I was like thunder thighs, this and that, you’re too big for it and you’re too cumbersome.
“I am big boned.. but yeah, I remember being told ‘You won’t be a ballet dancer, you’re too big for ballet hun.’”
Revealing how the comments affected her, Gemma continued: “I remember thinking ‘Oh my God’.
“I didn’t do anything about it. I thought I’m not going to lose weight or starve myself or anything, I just won’t do ballet, so I took up Thai boxing.
“But the thought of anyone telling her ]Mia] she’s too big for that, too small for that, too skinny for that, too muscular – no!
“I’m going to say you’re practically perfect in every way, like Mary Poppins.”
Posting another video to her Instagram stories later, Gemma said she had been overwhelmed by people who had been told the same as kids.
The response came after Gemma asked if any of her 1.8 million Instagram followers could understand her concerns.
“As if so many of you have said the same thing about being too big for ballet, but also how amazing it was for the children,” she shared.
After partner Gorka said his fellow Strictly dancer Karen Hauer had gone to ballet school when she was younger, Gemma appeared to have a change of heart.
She said: “Like Gorka said, if Karen did ballet - and Karen is badass.”
Posting a group photo of the Strictly pros, Gemma added: “And I mean let’s be honest, with Mia surrounded by this lot for 6 months of the year, she can’t go wrong.”
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