Gemma Atkinson has thrown her backing behind fiancé and professional dancer Gorka Marquez after he revealed he will not be paired with a celebrity contestant during the 2025 series of Strictly Come Dancing.
Marquez took to Instagram on Wednesday explaining the decision, citing scheduling conflicts with his judging duties on the Spanish edition of the programme.
The 34-year-old confirmed on Wednesday that he will return as a judge for the second series of Bailando Con Las Estrellas, which begins filming in September.
The Spanish dancer, who has been a fixture on the BBC One programme since 2016, explained that the overlapping filming schedules prevent him from taking on a celebrity partnership this year.
His absence marks a significant change for the upcoming series, set to begin this autumn, and took many by surprise seeing as he was unveiled as one of the show’s pros earlier this year.
Márquez will serve as a judge on Bailando Con Las Estrellas from September, having previously held the position during the programme’s second series in 2023.
It’s not a complete exit from Strictly, however, as the dancer will participate in weekly group performances through Week Seven of Strictly before departing for his Spanish commitments.
He is expected to be absent for approximately four weeks, missing a substantial portion of the competition’s middle stages.
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The scheduling conflict means Márquez will return to Strictly from Week 11 onwards, remaining with the programme through to the live final.
This arrangement allows him to fulfil his obligations to both programmes whilst maintaining a presence in the BBC show’s ensemble routines and concluding episodes.
In his Instagram announcement, Márquez wrote: “I am happy to announce that I will be back for season two of BAILANDO CON LAS ESTRELLAS as a judge from September.”
He explained: “Due to the filming dates this means that I won’t be competing with a partner this year in Strictly but I will be a part of lots of the group numbers and will be back for final weeks of the Show to support the rest of my fellow pros and their celebrities in what is going to be an AMAZING SERIES.”
The dancer concluded his message by expressing gratitude to supporters, adding: “As always thank you for all The love and support and remember! Keep dancing!!!”
Supporters expressed mixed emotions following the announcement, with many voicing disappointment about his absence from the main competition.
However, one person who assured Marquez he had their support was his fiancée and the mother of his two children, Atkinson. “Vamos! Very proud,” Atkinson penned on Instagram in reaction to the statement, along with a series of love heart emojis.
Meanwhile, Marquez’s fellow Strictly pros, including Nikita Kuzmin, Johannes Radebe, Lauren Oakley, Karen Hauer, Nancy Xu, and many more, also showed their support through a series of emoji-laden responses.
Fans, however, were more distraught. One fan commented: “Noooooo! Strictly won’t be the same without you! I hope you enjoy every minute of it!”
Another wrote: “Gutted wanted you to win,” whilst a third added: “It won’t be the same without you but so excited for your judging role again!”
Marquez has reached the final three times during his Strictly tenure, partnering Alexandra Burke in 2017, Maisie Smith in 2020 and Helen Skelton in 2022.
