Gemma Atkinson and Gorka Marquez have insisted they won’t ever marry, despite getting engaged five years ago.
The Hollyoaks actress, 41, and her Strictly pro dancer partner, 35, have been together since 2018, after meeting on the BBC dance show.
Gorka proposed on Valentine’s Day 2021 and the couple are parents to daughter Mia, six, and son, Thiago, two.
The couple say they are happy as they are, telling listeners on a recent episode of their podcast Lost In Translation there is ‘no chance’ of them heading down the aisle.
Responding to a listener’s question about their wedding plans, Gemma was quick to reply: ‘I ain’t getting married to him. No chance.’
Gorka agreed, saying, ‘I don’t think I want to get married.’
Gemma Atkinson and Gorka Marquez have insisted they won’t get married, despite getting engaged five years ago
‘Everyone I know who has got married has ended up getting divorced, apart from my sister,’ pointed out Gemma.
Gorka continued: ‘We are fine like this, we have two children, marriage is just a document, for a legal thing’.
‘You see people together for 15, 20 years, they get married then divorced one year after.’
Gemma admitted she had considered marriage if only for the sake of their children, explaining ‘my mum was saying to me the other day, when it comes to my will, she was saying how much more complicated it is.’
‘But I don’t want anything from you,’ replied a confused Gorka.
‘It’s not about you, you idiot, it’s about the kids. I need to put it in a will.’
Gorka then joked: ‘When I die I won’t have anything, I spend everything. Nothing to you, nothing to the kids.’
Gemma recently lifted the lid on difficult times with her fiancé after he quit Strictly Come Dancing.
The Hollyoaks actress, 41, and her Strictly pro dancer partner, 35, have been together since 2018, after meeting on the BBC dance show but have now insisted they are happy as they are
The Spanish ballroom professional is the latest high-profile name to be leaving the much-loved programme amid this year’s bloodbath as producers make sweeping cast changes ahead of its 24th series later this year.
‘I’ve decided that now is the time to hang up my dance shoes and say goodbye to Strictly Come Dancing,’ Gorka said in a statement last week.
The show introduced Gorka to his partner, after the pair met when she was a competitor on the show back in 2017.
The couple now share the Lost In Translation podcast and in a resurfaced clip from several weeks ago, Gemma was seen recalling a recent moment where Gorka frustrated her – adding: ‘I thought “Shut the f*** up Gorka”.’
In the clip, previously shared on Instagram, Gemma said: ‘Gorka came back from New York, you might have not seen yourself doing this.’
‘I moan about everything,’ Gorka began, as Gemma said: ‘No… You walked around the house like an inspector doing a check on a tenant.
‘You were literally doing this [acts out Gorka investigating the house]. Then I went upstairs, and I heard you say, “I’ve been away for one week, and you take my shelf”.
‘And then it dawned on me, Mia and Thiago were playing, rearranging. They were playing shops – and I thought, “Oh, bless them. They’ve not put stuff back”.
‘And as I was walking up the stairs, I mumbled to myself, thinking… I thought “Shut the f*** up Gorka” and I just stomped upstairs. You might have heard me.’
Gorka confirmed his permanent departure from Strictly in an emotional Instagram post – putting an end to ongoing uncertainty regarding his future on the show.
‘After last year’s decision to step down as a full-time professional due to scheduling conflicts between Strictly and Dancing With The Stars Spain, I’ve decided that now is the time to hang up my dance shoes and say goodbye to Strictly Come Dancing,’ he wrote.
‘I will always be incredibly grateful to Strictly and the BBC for everything.
Gorka proposed on Valentine’s Day 2021 and the couple are parents to daughter Mia, six, and son, Thiago, two
‘Being part of the show has been so much more than just a professional opportunity – over the past 10 years, it allowed me to build a career from my passion, find love, start a family, and make lifelong friends. For that, I will forever be thankful.
‘Although I’m stepping away from the dance floor, I can’t wait to dance on the Strictly Pro Tour starting this week and continue being part of this incredible family.
‘Now it’s time to take a step back, enjoy the sidelines… and hopefully hold up a few paddles and give out some tens along the way.
‘Thank you to everyone who has supported me and shared their love throughout this incredible journey. Keep dancing.’
Gorka’s departure from Strictly Come Dancing follows the news that fellow professionals Luba Mushtuk, Karen Hauer, Nadiya Bychkova and Michelle Tsiakkas will no longer be part of the show either.
Their replacements have yet to be announced, and Strictly bosses have still not revealed who will be the new hosts of the programme following the departures of Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly after the 2025 Christmas Special.
