Strictly Come Dancing star Gorka Marquez has opened up about the impact his gruelling schedule has on his family.
The professional dancer is dad to daughter Mia, four, and one-month-old son Thiago with fiancée Gemma Atkinson. The couple have let the cameras into their life for their new family series, Gemma and Gorka: Life Behind the Lens.
In a candid confession, Gorka shared his fear of missing out on his children’s milestones as he discussed working on tour.
Gorka Marquez discusses family life
He said on the show: “It’s hard for me because I’m away quite a lot with my job. Sometimes I feel like I’m missing some of the best things of parenthood. When Mia was born I was on tour, came home for the labour and the birth, and then three days after that I have to go again.”
He added that he hoped things would be different with Thiago, who they welcomed in July. “Hopefully this time around we have more time together,” he said.
Sometimes I feel like I’m missing some of the best things of parenthood.
Discussing Gorka’s absence, Gemma explained: “Gorka is about to head out on his latest dance tour, which means that work and home life are a balancing act.”
Gorka described family time as “precious” before he was seen heading off to work.
Gemma, who was pregnant at the time of filming, told the camera: “That’s literally it every weekend. We have him home for about two, three hours and then he has to go on to the next city or the next tour bus or the next production.
“At the minute, when it’s just the two of us, it’s alright. But in a few months, I’ll be with a baby carrier, or a pram and Mia and two dogs!”
Gemma and Gorka first met on Strictly in 2017. They weren’t paired together on the show, but grew close behind the scenes.
They got engaged on Valentine’s Day in 2021, but are yet to tie the knot.
Gemma told New Magazine last year that Gorka’s “intense” schedule made it hard for them to “sit down” and make wedding plans.
Read more: Gemma Atkinson rubbishes Strictly ‘curse’ as she addresses Gorka’s ‘chemistry’ with Helen Skelton
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