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Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News
Entertainment
Katie Fitzpatrick

Gemma Atkinson's daughter 'gutted' to miss dad Gorka on Strictly tour after being stricken with chickenpox

Gemma Atkinson has told how her adorable daughter Mia missed seeing her dad Gorka Marquez dance in the Strictly Professionals tour last week after being stricken with chickenpox. The doting mia posted super-cute video of two-year-old Mia browsing through a programme brought home for her by Gorka after she couldn't make it.

Hits Radio presenter Gemma, 37, says Mia was 'gutted' not to be able to see her dad perform with his fellow Strictly Come Dancing professionals at at The Lowry in Salford. "She missed the show with her chickenpox so papa got her a programme," said the former Hollyoaks and Emmerdale actress on her Instagram Stories.

And she explained in another caption: "Program was the next best thing we could do bless her. She was gutted she couldn't watch papa dance."

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Chatting with fans in an Instagram video she said: "That video was from when I went to see the Strictly tour. Mia couldn't come because of her chickenpox."

According to the NHS chickenpox is a very contagious infection that causes an itchy, spotty rash. Gemma said their daughter can go 'back to normality' and return to her toddlers' group now that her blisters have scabbed over meaning they are no longer contagious.

Little Mia got a keepsake programme from her dad (Gemma Atkinson/Instagram)

"To anyone whose kids have got chickenpox I feel you," she said. "It's not nice is it? I'm glad she got them now. They were going round toddlers."

She explained: "I actually kept her off the week before we were going on holiday because it was going around. She can get them any time but she ain't getting them before we go to Tenerife. First holiday in two years we are going."

And she said upset Mia was helped to deal with the infection by naming her blisters."She's been fine," reassured Gemma. "She was a bit upset when we first saw them. We named them all to make it a bit more fun."

Bury actress and broadcaster Gemma recently returned to the Channel Four soap Hollyoaks for a guest stint reprising her role as Lisa Hunter. She met Gorka on Strictly in 2017 when she was paired with fellow pro dancer Aljaz Skorjanec and he danced with singer Alexandra Burke on the BBC celeb dance contest.

Gorka popped the question during a romantic dog walk on Valentine's Day last year. In March he was cheered on in the audience by Gemma and Mia when his live show Firedance came to Manchester's The Bridgewater Hall.

He wrote movingly: "To perform in Mcr is always amazing but for the first Time Mia and @glouiseatkinson came to watch me dance and in my head the only thing I could think of it was to make them both proud. To see her little face so lit up and how she say said Papa before our last dance. It was just special! I love you both princess and mummy."

Last month they enjoyed a family holiday to Tenerife. As Gemma shared a video fans commented that little Mia seemed to have picked up an accent from her mum. And many noticed that Strictly Come Dancing professional Gorka, who is from Bilbao, Spain, also seemed to have adopted a 'Manchester twang.'

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