Gemma Atkinson has revealed how fiancé Gorka Marquez needs to be ‘passionate’ with his Strictly partners in order to score highly – as she rubbished the show’s so-called curse.
The actress, 38, who welcomed her second child in July, spoke about the importance of a connection between the dancers and how they needed ‘chemistry.’
A former contestant herself back in 2017, she told The Metro: ‘I remember when I had to dance the rumba with Aljaž.
‘Everyone said, ‘You have to look into his eyes and get close,’ and I was like, ‘Oh my God, this is awful! But the dance looked rubbish because I didn’t do it.
‘So then I remember saying to Helen [Skelton], ‘You’ve got to be passionate with Gorka, that’s part of the dance.’ I’m always rooting for them to have chemistry!’
When asked if she has any ‘anxiety’ when Gorka, 33, is away, she defiantly said no and joked that she only cared where he was based so he could help her with the school run after rehearsals.
She added: ‘I think if we were together all day, every day, 24/7, we’d probably hate it. It’s been like that for our whole relationship, so I guess it probably works because of that, we don’t know any different, really.’
It comes after Gemma shockingly revealed that she waited for the tennis result before giving birth when her waters broke during the Wimbledon final day.
The radio personality revealed how Gorka, who she has been dating for six years, begged her not to to go into labour until the game had finished.
The couple, who share two children, four-year-old Mia and baby Thiago, three months, made the admission on Gemma’s podcast The Overshare.
Discussing ‘terrible partners in labour’ with guest contributors, the couple spoke about Thiago’s birth.
Gemma began: ‘This is a thing with Thiago. My waters broke again on the Wimbledon final day. And it was Alcaraz and Djokovic.’
Gorka added: ‘I said please don’t go into labour now let me at least watch the final.’
‘He genuinely did say that…But yeah my waters broke early in the morning,’ Gemma continued.
‘I was upstairs on my own on the bed on all fours just breathing through my contractions because I wanted to try and stay at home for as long as possible this time.
‘I don’t know if it was a fear of the hospital or what, but I just thought until I can no longer tolerate the contractions I will be at home. And so yeah, I was upstairs just trying to deal with it. And every now and again I’d hear “vamos vamos” from downstairs.’
Gorka laughed: ‘I was downstairs having the tortilla chips watching the tennis… The game finishes…I went upstairs and I went “okay, now you can have the baby.’
James Parker is a UK-based entertainment aficionado who delves into the glitz and glamour of the entertainment industry. From Hollywood to the West End, he offers readers an insider’s perspective on the world of movies, music, and pop culture.
