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Strictly’s Gorka Marquez put on a brace face as he was seen for the first time since his apparent axing from the BBC show was revealed.
The dance pro, 35, joined the series in 2016 and it’s where he met fiancé Gemma Atkinson, with whom he shares daughter Mia, six, and two-year-old son Thiago.
Despite reportedly being given the boot in a mass cull of dancers, alongside Nadiya Bychkova, Luba Mushtuk and Michelle Tsiakkas, Gorka flashed a huge smile while heading to the gym in Manchester.
Pulling up in his £100,000 Land Rover, he cut a casual figure for his workout in a black jumper with grey joggers which he teamed with trainers and a neon green beanie.
Spanish dancer Gorka has been on the show for a decade and has reached the final three times, with partners Alexandra Burke, Maisie Smith and Helen Skelton.
He didn’t have a partner last year because he was also filming the Spanish version of the show, danced in the group numbers.
Producers are said to want a ‘fresh start’ for the BBC1 show, with new presenters to be announced soon after hosts Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman decided it was time for them to go.
Fellow dancer Nadiya is reportedly devastated by her axing, with friends accusing the show of ageism.
The Ukrainian dancer has been dropped from the show as the BBC tries to ‘completely refresh’ it after scandals and the departure of presenters Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman.
Nadiya had been in Strictly Come Dancing for eight years and in that time partnered celebrities including TV presenter Dan Walker, singer Matt Goss and actor Davood Ghadami.
Now, a friend of the 36-year-old dancer has reportedly hit out at the axing and taken aim at the BBC.
‘Her axing smacks of ageism,’ a friend reportedly told The Sun.
They added: ‘Nadiya’s one of the most popular dancers so she can’t understand why she won’t be back. She’s devastated – the show is her life.’
Meanwhile Neil Jones Neil Jones, 43, and Nancy Xu, 34, will not have celeb partners this year as they too have been dropped.
They might still be involved in group dances, however, unlike Nadiya, Gorka, Luba and Michelle.
The Daily Mail has contacted the BBC and representatives for Nadiya, Neil and Nancy for comment.
Meanwhile Luba, 36, joined the show the year after Nadiya, partnering with the likes of rower James Cracknell, former NFL star Jason Bell and TV presenter Nick Knowles, with her longest stint in the competition being with actor Adam Thomas, finishing in 9th place.
But like Michelle and Gorka, she did not receive a celebrity dance partner in the most recent series.
Strictly has been hit by a string of scandals including claims of drug taking and abusive behaviour towards contestants by pro dancers.
Pros Giovanni Pernice and Graziano di Prima both left the show in 2024, with Graziano going after allegations that he had stamped on his partner Zara McDermott.
Giovanni was investigated by the BBC over bullying allegations made by his partner Amanda Abbington, some of which were upheld.
There is no suggestion that any of the pros going as part of the Strictly refresh in the wake of the Departure of Claudia and Tess have been involved in any wrongdoing.
