Gemma Atkinson has broken her silence on claims Gorka Marquez has quit Strictly Come Dancing.
Reports claimed that Gorka would be leaving Strictly after missing out on the Glitterball trophy this year.
This year’s series saw Hamza Yassin and his professional partner Jowita Przystał crowned the 2022 winners.
Gorka Marquez on Strictly
According to an insider, Gorka had got the show’s “seven-year itch” – which previously struck Oti Mabuse and Kevin Clifton.
The source told The Sun: “He looked so devastated last week because he knew the final might be his last chance of taking home the Glitterball, which had eluded him twice before.
“Gorka has become an established figure in the contest and a name in his own right, which could allow him to go on to bigger things.
“There’s no suggestion of any bad feeling between him and the BBC. It remains to be seen if producers will now offer him a deal enticing enough to sign up for next year’s show.”
Has Gorka quit? Gemma Atkinson breaks silence
However, Gorka’s fiancée Gemma has denied the claims and insisted Gorka hasn’t left the BBC show.
Speaking on Instagram, actress Gemma said alongside a screenshot of a headline claiming Gorka will leave Strictly: “Keep being sent this. Wish I hadn’t said to all the backstage crew ‘see you next year’ now.”
She added: “Obv this isn’t true at all! Same as it wasn’t true about Gio [Pernice] last year. Merry Christmas!”
It comes after some viewers had predicted Gorka would leave after missing out on the Glitterball with his celeb partner Helen Skelton.
As Hamza and Jowita became winners, viewers spotted Gorka looking disappointed.
One person said on Twitter at the time: “Gorka was likely just really disappointed.”
Another wrote: “I’m calling it now. Gorka is going to quit #Strictly before next year.”
Wish I hadn’t said to all the backstage crew ‘see you next year’ now.
Meanwhile, some people watching thought Gorka looked “fuming”.
Helen appeared on ITV’s Lorraine days after the final and addressed Gorka’s disappointment.
She said: “The thing is, what I love about Gorka and our friendship is, we’re so honest. It’s written all over our faces.
“When I was terrified we were terrified, when we were loving our time together we were loving our time together, when we were stressed we were stressed.”
The Countryfile star added: “If his face had said anything other than ‘I’m disappointed’ on Saturday it would have been a disservice. Bless him, he wanted to win it.”
Fingers crossed for next year, Gorka!
Read more: Strictly: More devastating Helen and Gorka news following final disappointment
Did you want Gorka to win Strictly Come Dancing this year? Would you be sad if he left? You can leave us a comment on our Facebook page @EntertainmentDailyFix and let us know.