Strictly’s Gorka Marquez breaks down in tears as he talks about tensions in his relationship with Gemma

Strictly Come Dancing’s Gorka Marquez was tearful as he opened up about the guilt he feels at being separated from his family due to work commitments. In a new clip from his and fiancée Gemma Atkinson’s reality show, Gemma and Gorka: Life Behind the Lens, the 33-year-old dancer got emotional while discussing his busy schedule.

As well as keeping a busy schedule on Strictly, Gorka also flew to Spain last year to judge Bailando Con Las Estrellas – the Spanish equivalent of the popular BBC dance show.

In a touching moment, Gorka revealed to the cameras: “I looked at the schedule and I won’t be home for at least about five weeks. I hate leaving. I just feel… not guilty, but you know, sometimes I say, “Oh, I’m very tired,” and then Gemma says, “Well, I work in radio, I do other jobs, and I have two kids, you know.”

“I just feel bad that I’m not there to help. She understands and supports me. Without her, I wouldn’t be able to do half the things I do.”

“It’s going to be hard because I’m going to miss them so much. It’s nice that we’re going away for a few weeks on holiday. But it’s also hard because I’m with them all day and from tomorrow I’m going away and I won’t see them, so yeah,” he told Birmingham Live. An emotional Gorka said: “I don’t even want to think about it.”

The Strictly star and Gemma, whose paths first crossed when she took part in Strictly in 2017, have been engaged since 2021 and have two adorable children together: daughter Mia and son Thiago.

But they are in no rush to tie the knot. Gemma spilled the beans last month, revealing they may wait until their son, born last July, is old enough to attend the ceremony.

She told Hello magazine: “I would like to wait until Thiago can walk down the aisle. We have a perfect life together, with kids, a house and dogs, so we don’t feel any pressure to get married just for the sake of it.”

“We thought we could go to the registry office and do it just the two of us and then have a big party. But then, as it got closer, I thought I would regret not having my sister and niece as bridesmaids, so we said, “No, let’s take our time. Let’s wait for the perfect moment and do it then.”

She continued: “I wouldn’t want a big, fairytale white wedding. The fewer people, the better. “I would ideally wear a trouser suit, but that might not be well received.”