Inside Gorka Marquez’s BBC Strictly Come Dancing exit

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Gorka Marquez has announced he is leaving Strictly Come Dancing after 10 years on the BBC dance show.

Everything you need to know about Gorka Marquez leaving Strictly Come Dancing

• Gorka Marquez has become the fifth professional dancer to exit Strictly Come Dancing before the upcoming series. He revealed his decision on Instagram, sharing a black and white photograph of himself walking away from the camera, dressed in a suit and dance shoes, towards a studio door.
• In his Instagram statement, Gorka explained that following his choice to step down as a full-time professional on the BBC series last year owing to clashes with Dancing With The Stars Spain, he has now decided to “hang up my dance shoes and say goodbye to Strictly Come Dancing”. The 35-year-old expressed that he will “always be incredibly grateful” to the programme which has enabled him to “build a career from my passion, find love, start a family and make lifelong friends”.
• Even though he is leaving the show, Gorka confirmed he would continue participating in the Strictly Pro Tour, which begins next week. He subsequently mentioned taking a reduced role and “hopefully hold up a few paddles and out some tens”, though he didn’t specify whether this relates to his Spanish role or potential judging duties on the BBC programme.
• Gorka became part of Strictly Come Dancing in 2016 and has partnered with celebrities including Tameka Empson, Maisie Smith, Helen Skelton and Alexandra Burke, amongst others. He remained unpaired last year due to scheduling conflicts with Dancing With The Stars in Spain.
• The Strictly performer met his partner and mother of his children, Hollyoaks, Casualty and Emmerdale actress Gemma Atkinson, through the programme in 2017 when she was paired with Aljaz Skorjanec. Gemma responded to his Strictly departure post, writing: “Thank goodness you were on the show in 2017! Exciting times ahead”.
• READ THE FULL STORY: Gorka Marquez quits Strictly Come Dancing after 10 years with cryptic statement

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