Gorka Márquez is set to spend more time at home after announcing his departure from Strictly Come Dancing following a decade on the BBC show. The 35-year-old professional dancer has become the fifth star to exit the beloved competition ahead of the upcoming series.
A Stunning Home in Rural Manchester
Gorka, who met his fiancée Gemma Atkinson on the show in 2017, lives with her and their two children—daughter Mia, six, and son Thiago, three—in a beautiful home in rural Manchester. The property boasts a spacious gym for the fitness-focused couple, along with a large garden and a playroom for the kids.
Renovation Challenges
In 2024, the former soap actress, 41, revealed that renovation work had begun on their home to add an extension. However, the project faced setbacks. Gemma shared with fans: “With this build, we had a nightmare. It started out good, turned awful. So for this extension, we looked at five different companies to avoid repeating that experience.”
A Peek Inside Their Sanctuary
The couple often shares glimpses of their home on social media, and they gave fans a deeper look during their show, Gemma and Gorka: Life Behind the Lens. Speaking to House Beautiful, Gemma said: “My home is my safe space. I genuinely love being at home. Home is my sanctuary, where I can walk around with no bra on, in a t-shirt and trackies. It’s where I can shut the door, lock everyone out, and just have my family around.”
Despite the pristine appearance of the house, Gemma admitted that the “messy” playroom for Mia and Thiago has become her favorite room. “It’s chaos and messy with toys, but one day I’ll walk in and there won’t be any at all. It’ll be a teenager’s room with a flatscreen and a couch, and it’ll smell of Lynx aftershave. It will break my heart that there aren’t little drum kits, toy horses, and dolls.”
State-of-the-Art Gym and Recovery
Gemma and Gorka frequently use their home gym, which is equipped with top-of-the-line gear. However, their biggest investment has been in recovery equipment, including an eight-person sauna and ice bath combo. Gemma explained: “When Gorka mentioned it, I said, ‘Do we really need one?’ But now we use it three or four times a week, and the difference it makes for inflammation levels when training is fantastic.”
Their Love Story
The former Hollyoaks star and her pro dancer fiancé met on Strictly in 2017, though they were not paired together. Gemma danced with Aljaž Škorjanec, while Gorka partnered with Alexandra Burke; both couples reached the final. Despite this, romance blossomed, and they announced their relationship on Valentine’s Day 2018.
The couple eventually danced together on the Strictly Christmas special in 2019. They welcomed their daughter Mia in July 2019 and announced their engagement in February 2021. Their son Thiago was born in July 2023.
Gemma previously told Hits Radio about waiting for Gorka to propose: “It was quite sad because until then, apparently they officially take the mum’s name, but once registered, she’s an official Márquez. And I’m the only one now who’s not a Márquez in the family. I said to him, ‘You do know now we need to get married, otherwise I’m not part of the family.’ He’s like, ‘Yeah, we have time, it’s OK.’”
