Strictly Come Dancing fans send 'thank you' as they're distracted by Gorka Marquez detail amid 'undermarked' complaints

Strictly Come Dancing viewers sent a message of 'thanks' to one particular department on the hit show as Gorka Marquez left them unanimously distracted during his first performance of the series. The Spanish dancer was back in the ballroom on Saturday night (September 23) with his new celebrity partner Nikita Kanda.

The pair were seen being paired up during last Saturday's launch show (September 16). Fans watched as Gorka surprised Nikita on the roof of the BBC building as she waited for her professional dance partner to arrive. The radio and TV presenter revealed her family’s reaction to her taking part in the show, saying: "My mum cried, she was so happy, it’s made everyone feel good and have a bit of a smile on their face."

Gorka went on to reveal during the pre-recorded launch show that their first dance, during the first live show of the series on Saturday, will be the Waltz and that they have already decided that their team name is 'Gorkita'.

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Taking to the ballroom for the first time together during week one the 2023 run of the BBC One dance competition, Nikita and Gorka glided their way to a score of 18 with an elegant waltz to Run To You by Whitney Houston.

Craig said he felt the routine “lacked tone”, but noticed she delivered “some beautiful hand shaping”. Meanwhile, Motsi admitted she could sense Kanda was nervous and advised her to practice on her own to build her confidence.

Strictly fans, however, felt like the pair had been undermarked. @ShakyWoon tweeted: "Craig gives Nikita and Gorka a three?!?! Whaaaaaaaat?!?! I know it's only week 1