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Gorka Marquez is set to spend a lot more time at home after announcing he’s quit Strictly Come Dancing after 10 years on the BBC show.
The dancing pro, 35, has become the fifth star to leave the much-loved dancing competition ahead of the new series later this year.
Gorka had become part of the furniture of the show, even meeting his soon-to-be wife Gemma Atkinson as their romance played out behind the scenes back in 2017.
Away from the show, the couple, who share daughter Mia, six, and son Thiago, three, together, live in a stunning home in rural Manchester.
The abode features a stunning gym for the fitness-obsessed couple, as well as a sprawling garden and playroom for their children.
Here we take a look inside the home Gemma has compared to a cosy Emmerdale residence…
In 2024 the former soap actress, 41, revealed renovation works had begun on their property in order to add an extension.
But the property plans had plenty of hiccups, with Gemma telling fans: ‘With this build, we had a nightmare, like with this house we had a real difficult time with the builders it was a nightmare.
‘Started out good, turned out awful. So with this extension, we were like, “That ain’t happening again.” So we looked at five different companies.’
The pair often share glimpses of the home on social media, but also gave fans a look inside during their show, Gemma and Gorka: Life Behind the Lens.
Speaking about her home life, Gemma previously told House Beautiful: ‘My home is my safe space. I genuinely love being at home. I hate leaving the house for anything. Home is my sanctuary, where I can walk around with no bra on, in a t-shirt and pair of trackies.
‘It’s where I can shut the door, lock everyone out and just have my family around.’
And while the house appears pristine, Gemma admitted that the ‘messy’ playroom for Mia and Thiago has quickly become her favourite in the house.
‘It’s chaos and messy with toys, but one day I’ll walk in and there won’t be any at all. It’ll be a teenager’s room with a flatscreen and a couch and it’ll smell of Lynx aftershave. It will break my heart that there aren’t little drum kits, toy horses and dolls.’
Gemma and Gorka can often be found in their home gym, which boasts plenty of state of the art equipment. But their biggest splurge has been for their exercise recovery, including an eight-person sauna and ice bath combo.
‘When Gorka mentioned it, I said “do we really need one?”, but now we have been able to do it three or four times a week, the difference it makes when you’re training for inflammation levels is fantastic,’ she said.
The former Hollyoaks star and her pro dancer fiancé met on the series back in 2017, although they were not paired up together.
She danced with Aljaz Skorjanec while Gorka was paired up with Alexandra Burke, with both couples ultimately reaching the final.
However, romance still blossomed between the pair, who announced on Valentine’s Day 2018 that they were in a relationship.
The couple – who eventually made it to the Strictly dancefloor in the 2019 Christmas special – welcomed baby daughter Mia into the world in July 2019, and announced their engagement in February 2021.
They later welcomed their son Thiago in July 2023.
Gemma previous told Hits Radio she had been waiting for him to pop the question, saying: ‘It was quite sad because until then apparently they officially take the mum’s name, but once registered she’s an official Marquez. And I’m the only one now who’s not a Marquez in the family.
‘I said to him, “You do know now we need to get married otherwise I’m not part of the family”. He’s like “Yeah we have time, it’s OK”.’
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