Gorka Marquez says 'it's difficult' as he leaves home with brutal schedule uncovered

Gorka Marquez has said 'it's difficult' as he spoke about leaving home for his latest working commitments. The Strictly Come Dancing star is heading back on the road with his friend and co-star Karen Hauer after a brief hiatus.

But him touring with their new Speakeasy show means that both will be leaving their families behind for the foreseeable. Fans will recall that Gorka spent time away from Gemma and their kids - Mia, five, and one-year-old Thiago - during his commitment to the hit BBC One dance contest last year.

Gorka competed with Morning Live star Dr Punam Krishan. Punam was based in Glasgow and Gorka temporarily moved to Scotland while they competed in Strictly's 2024 series, while also travelling to London each weekend for live programmes.

The Spanish dancer did briefly return home following his and Punam's exit from the competition during the Halloween special weekend, however, Gorka then went back on the move as he stepped in for an injured Carlos Gu for the Strictly Christmas special before returning for the 2024 series final in mid-December.

After that, Gorka was seen soaking up the family time at home in Greater Manchester before he this week headed into rehearsals for his and Karen's upcoming tour. And although he’s about to embark on a gruelling 41-date UK dance tour over a less than two-month period, he’s determined to squeeze in as much time as possible with his fiancée and their two young children.

"The good thing about the tour is we only do one show a day and some of the places are near to us in Manchester, so with those shows, I’ll always drive back home," he said. "It’s miles in the body, obviously, because you’ve done a show and then you have to drive two hours back, but it’s worth it because I