Gorka Marquez admits 'heartbreaking' reason he almost quit Strictly Come Dancing

Gorka Marquez was the subject of Strictly Come Dancing exit rumours when he narrowly missed out on the Glitterball trophy last year. The Spanish dancer had a triumphant series in 2022, making it to the final of the BBC One dance contest with Helen Skelton.

With the help of Gorka, the Countryfile presenter won the hearts of viewers as they watched her grow in confidence as the weeks went by, months after she confirmed her split from her ex-husband Richie Myler, with her pulling off her sassy, sexy and more emotional routines.

But despite their best efforts in the grand final, it wasn't meant to be with the title going to Hamza Yassin and Jowita Przystal. However, viewers claimed they spotted Gorka looking 'gutted' and claimed he was 'fuming' at the results. It was later reported that the 33-year-old was planning on quitting the show, on which he met his now-fiancee Gemma Atkinson, and Gorka quietly denied the rumours.

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He has since been confirmed in the professional line-up for the 2023 series, which begins on Saturday (September 16) with the launch show, and has been hard at work in training with his fellow pros and now with his new celebrity dance partner.

But he has now revealed that leaving the hit dance show did cross his mind. Speaking in the third and final episode of his and Gemma's reality show, Gemma and Gorka: Life Behind the Lens, Gorka spoke about the difficult decision he had to make as rehearsals for Strictly started just after his second child, son Thiago, was born.

"It’s quite heart-breaking, you know, to have to leave again a few days after Gemma gives birth and not be at home," he said on the W Channel show.