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Who is Strictly Come Dancing professional Gorka Marquez?
Plus find out if he's ever won Strictly
GORKA Marquez has risen to fame for his dancing skills since joining BBC show Strictly Come Dancing.
He will be paired up with a new celebrity contestant in 2024.
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Who is Strictly Come Dancing professional Gorka Marquez?
Gorka Marquez was born on September 4, 1990, and is a Spanish dancer and choreographer.
He first joined the Strictly family in 2016 and was partnered with EastEnders actress, Tameka Empson.
Before joining the glitz and glam of Strictly, Gorka discovered his passion for dancing at the tender age of 12.
After attending dance classes as a pre-teen, it wasn't long before Gorka was one of the top movers in Spain.
He represented the country in the World Latin Championships in 2010 and reached the semi-finals of the 2012 WDSF World Cup.
In 2014, Gorka took a lead role in the global dance phenomenon Burn The Floor - a job which saw him take his talents global.
Who is Gorka Marquez's fiancée Gemma Atkinson?
Gorka is engaged to soap star Gemma Atkinson.
She has had quite the career herself as she starred in Hollyoaks, Casualty, and Emmerdale.
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Gemma hosts a show on Hits Radio alongside Mike Toolan.
She has also taken part in I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!, Celebrity MasterChef, Strictly, and Soapstar Superstar.
Strictly Come Dancing's Helen Skelton wows as she performs with Gorka
How long have Gorka Marquez and Gemma Atkinson been together for?
Gemma and Gorka met in 2017 when they were both competing on Strictly Come Dancing.
She was paired with professional dancer Aljaz Skorjanec while Gorka was with Alexandra Burke.
The two of them seemed to hit it off backstage and confirmed they were together the following year.
How many children do Gorka Marquez and Gemma Atkinson have?
Gorka and actress Gemma welcomed their baby girl into the world on July 4, 2019.
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The proud parents posted a snap of their daughter on Instagram two weeks after her birth and revealed their daughter's name is Mia Louise Marquez.
The cute snap shown "Mini Marquez" - as she's been affectionately nicknamed - quietly snoozing in her crib while wearing a cosy pink knitted jumper and some white sock on her feet.
In 2022, Gemma revealed how she was left red-faced after her daughter Mia said: "My mummy's got a baby in her tummy'' in front of everyone at her nursery.
Speaking on her Hits Radio show, the star insisted she was not pregnant but put on a little weight following a recent trip to Spain.
On July 19, 2023, Gemma announced she had given birth to her second child, a boy named Thiago.
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Who has Gorka Marquez been partnered up with in Strictly 2024?
Gorka's 2024 Strictly partner is yet to be revealed but he has been partnered with some well known faces over the years.
In his first series in 2016, he was with Tameka Empson and they got to week three.
He did better the following year with Alexandra Burke and they managed to come second.
In 2018 Gorka was paired with TV presenter and charity campaigner Katie Piper, but the duo left in week four.
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When he was paired with actress Maisie Smith in 2020, they got all the way to the final but missed out on lifting the glitterball trophy.
He was second to leave the show in 2021 with Coronation Street actress Katie McGlynn.
Gorka paired with Countryfile presenter Helen Skelton in 2022.
Taking the competition by storm, the dancing duo made it all the way to the show's grand finale, but were pipped to the trophy by Hamza Yassin.
In 2023, Gorka danced with Nikita Kanda, but they left the show in week two.
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Are Gorka Marquez and Gemma Atkinson engaged?
Gorka and Gemma announced their engagement after the Strictly pro popped the question in 2021 on the most romantic day of the year - Valentine’s Day.
The former Emmerdale actress revealed the happy news in a romantic Instagram post with a picture of her and Spanish dancer Gorka.
Posing next to her husband-to-be, Gemma flashed her diamond engagement ring.
She captioned the snap: “Valentine’s forever... Of course I said yes.”
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Gorka also shared the news with his followers, posting the same picture of them.
He wrote: "The best day with my forever Valentine’s.I asked and she said YES!!!!!!"
Fans of the happy couple are still eagerly awaiting news of their wedding.
When was Gorka assaulted?
In 2016, Gorka opened up about an horrific assault he experienced in Blackpool, in what police called a random and unprovoked attack.
The dancing pro was attacked by a gang of youths just hours after he appeared on the live Blackpool week of Strictly 2016.
He had two teeth smashed out in the assault, which took place as he walked to a nightclub with friends and fellow Strictly professional dancers Aljaz Skorjanec and Neil Jones.
He had to undergo emergency dental surgery.
Ever the professional, he returned to the show in order to perform in the group routines for the rest of the series.
Who's confirmed for Strictly 2024?
WITH Strictly's 20th anniversary special airing in September, The Sun takes a look at which celebs have been confirmed for the new series:
- EastEnders star Jamie Borthwick.
- Athlete Tom Dean is a three-time Olympic champion.
- X Factor winner and former Corrie star Shayne Ward.
- Miranda star Sarah Hadland.
- Gladiators star Montell Douglas AKA Fire.
- Football pundit Paul Merson.
- DIY SOS presenter Nick Knowles.
- Olympic hero Sam Quek.
- Towie legend Pete Wicks.
- Love Island star Tasha Ghouri.
- Morning Live star Dr Punam Krishan.
- 80s legend and singer Toyah Willcox.
- Opera singer Wynne Evans.
- JLS singer JB Gill.
- Blind comedian Chris McCausland.
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