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Irish Mirror
Irish Mirror
Entertainment
Courtney Pochin

Gemma Atkinson's wild love life before Gorka - two proposals, Ronaldo romance and 'feud'

Actress Gemma Atkinson and Strictly Come Dancing star Gorka Márquez are launching a brand new reality series, which will give an 'unfiltered' look at their life - juggling their work commitments while growing their family.

The show, called Gemma and Gorka: Life Behind the Lens, will give an honest portrayal of pre and post-pregnancy life as well, as Gemma is currently pregnant with the couple's second child.

The pair are parents to Mia and are now expecting a baby boy as well.

Gemma, 38, and Gorka, 32, met on Strictly in 2017, although they weren't paired up together at the time.

At the time, the former Hollyoaks star had admitted she'd been single for a while and joked she'd welcome the infamous "Strictly curse" if it meant she could meet the right man.

Gemma and Gorka have announced their own reality show (Production)

Gemma was partnered with Aljaz Skorjanec, while Gorka was dancing that season with Alexandra Burke, but this didn't stop them from hitting off a sweet relationship.

However, their flirting and friendship were rumoured to have ignited a 'feud' behind the scenes at the time.

It was claimed that X Factor winner Alexandra was "furious" about what their relationship would do to her chances on the show.

A source told The Sun: "Gorka and Gemma are together. It's the talk of the make-up room.

"Not surprisingly, Alexandra is furious about how it might impact her chances of winning. She's very ambitious and is nervous about it all."

Alexandra strenuously denied the feud rumours while Gemma and Gorka did everything they could to pour cold water on speculation about their relationship status as well.

They kept their romance well and truly under wraps until the following year.

Gemma was paired with Aljaz Skorjanec on Strictly (PA)
And Gorka was teamed up with Alexandra Burke (Birmingham Mail)

The pair stayed in touch after the final of the BBC1 dance show and on New Year's Eve of 2017 - with the show done and dusted - they stunned fans by sharing a video from a sweaty workout session.

They then set off on the Strictly Tour together, spending long days and evenings in each other's company - all the while continuing to deny anything was going on.

They didn't officially confirm that they were dating until Valentine's Day 2018.

Gemma took to Instagram to break the news, posting a romantic picture of them on holiday together.

A number of loved-up photos and videos have since been posted as fans enjoy seeing snippets of their relationship.

A year later in February 2019, Gemma took to Instagram once more to share that they were expecting a baby.

Their daughter was born in July 2019 and Gemma and Gorka got engaged in February 2021, four years after meeting on Strictly Come Dancing.

The pair are engaged (gorka_marquez/instagram)
They've started a family together (gorka_marquez/Instagram)

Sharing the happy news on Instagram, Gemma wrote: "Valentine's forever... Of course I said yes"

Gorka shared the same picture, adding: "The best day with my forever Valentine's. I asked and she said YES!!!!!!"

They have yet to make it down the aisle though, having to postpone their wedding due to work commitments.

In 2022, Gemma told New Magazine: "Gorka is literally on tour all of this year. We've only got four days off together."

She added that when they do get married, it'll likely be a small wedding.

They managed to hide their blossoming relationship for a long time (Instagram/gorka_marquez)
The pair have postponed their wedding (Gorka Marquez Instagram)

Before finding long-term love with Gorka, Gemma is said to have had a rather wild dating history, including high-profile athletes, and her acting co-stars.

Her most recent relationship before meeting Gorka ended in heartbreak, as she claims she was cheated on.

While Gemma didn't name names, she opened up about her cheating ex on her Hits Radio show back in February, sharing how she found out about his infidelity.

She said: "It wasn't that long ago, it was my fella before Gorka, we went on holiday.

"We met in the Bahamas and while we were there I took a picture of a sunset because it was a really lovely sunset, and I put it on me Instagram. I thought nothing of it.

"He put the same picture as his Whatsapp profile picture and a few days later I got this message on Instagram from this girl and she was like, 'Woman to woman, can I ask you were you with (him) recently?'

"Because my boyfriend told me he was in Florida with the lads and the picture you put on Instagram he has put as his Whatsapp profile pic."

Gemma asked the woman who she was and was alarmed to discover they had both been seeing the same guy for years.

She demanded her ex tell her what was going on, continuing: "Of course, he went all quiet. He confessed in the end.

"Bless her, she stayed with him," she added, admitting she'd tried to convince the other woman to dump him as well.

While she didn't reveal who the man was, Gemma's last known relationship before Gorka was was personal trainer Olly Foster, who she dated for two years, but they went their separate ways in 2016.

Gemma previously dated Cristiano Ronaldo (Getty Images)
She had an on-off relationship with Marcus Bent and they were engaged at one point (Julian Makey/REX/Shutterstock)

Her other notable previous relationships include world-class footballer Cristiano Ronaldo, who she dated in 2007.

The TV star shared how they'd have surprisingly laid-back dates at her house.

She told Manchester's Key 103 radio: "We went to my house and drank cups of tea and watched Only Fools and Horses. Genuinely!

"I don't know if he's into it now but he seemed to enjoy it.”

Gemma also said that she was offered a lot of money to discuss their relationship but she declined it.

"When we did split up I got offered so much money to speak about him and I didn't want that."

Her romance with Ronaldo was said to take place during one of Gemma's splits from on-off partner Marcus Bent.

The pair first dated in 2006 but broke up as Marcus went on to date Danielle Lloyd, and Gemma met Ronaldo.

They rekindled their romance in 2008 and Marcus was spotted moving his belongings into Gemma's home.

The couple even got engaged in 2008 but it clearly wasn't meant to be, and Gemma reportedly returned his ring to him by December of the same year.

The TV star was also previously engaged to Liam Richards (Copetti/Photofab/REX/Shutterstock)
And she once dated her Emmerdale co-star Cleveland Campbell (PA)

And this wasn't the only time Gemma had been engaged before as well, she also previously said yes to Britain's Got Talent finalist Liam Richards.

Gemma is said to have first met martial arts expert Liam in 2008 while starring in a panto.

The pair dated for two years and at the time Gemma said: "Liam is lovely and gets on really well with all my family. We have great fun."

However, their engagement was called off after reports that they had drifted apart.

As well as this, Gemma also had a two-year relationship with one of her co-stars while on Emmerdale

She dated Cleveland Campbell between the years of 2003 and 2005.

Cleveland is known for playing antique dealer Danny Daggert from 2001 until 2007 on the soap.

In 2006 he was accused of punching someone at Gemma's 21st birthday the year before, but he was later cleared of GBH charges.

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