Gorka Márquez (; born 4 September 1990) is a Spanish professional dancer, best known for appearing on the British dance show ''

Strictly Come Dancing ''Strictly Come Dancing'' (informally known as ''Strictly'') is a British dance contest show in which celebrities partner with professional dancers to compete in mainly ballroom and Latin dance. Each couple is scored by a panel of usually 4 ...

''.

Early life

Márquez began dancing at the age of 12, and in 2010 he represented Spain at the World Latin Championships, before reaching the semi-finals of the 2012

World DanceSport Federation The World DanceSport Federation (WDSF), formerly the International DanceSport Federation (IDSF), is the international governing body A governing body is a group of people that has the authority to exercise governance over an organization or p ...

World Cup. In 2014, Márquez joined the touring live dance show ''Burn the Floor'' as one of their leads, performing with the dance company all over the world.

''Strictly Come Dancing''

In 2016 Márquez became a professional dancer on the BBC ballroom dancing show ''

'' for its fourteenth series. He was partnered with ''

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'' actress

Tameka Empson Tameka Empson (born 16 April 1977) is an English actress and comedian. She appeared as one of the three protagonists in the hidden-camera comedy sketch show ''3 Non-Blondes''. In 2009, she began portraying the role of Kim Fox in the BBC soap ...

, and they were eliminated in week three of the competition. In 2017, he returned in the show's fifteenth series. He was partnered with singer and former ''

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'' winner,

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. They reached the final, finishing as joint runners-up. With Burke, Márquez holds the record for achieving the most tens in a single series with 32, surpassing

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and

Oti Mabuse Otlile "Oti" Mabuse (born 8 August 1990) is a South African talent show judge, presenter, dancer and Latin dance champion currently based in the United Kingdom. She is best known for being a professional dancer on the British television series ' ...

’s previous record of 26 tens. In 2018 he participated in the show's sixteenth series, where he was partnered with television presenter and campaigner

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. The couple were eliminated in week four of the competition, finishing in 13th place. The following year, Márquez announced that he had been demoted from the main professional line-up, but explained that he would still participate in the weekly group dances. In 2020 Márquez returned as a professional for the show's eighteenth series, reaching the final with ''

'' actress

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. In 2021 he returned in the show's nineteenth series, reaching week three with ''

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'' actress

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. In 2022, he returned in the show's twentieth series. reaching the final with television presenter

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Highest and lowest scores

Highest and Lowest Scores Per Dance

Series 14: with Tameka Empson

Series 15: with Alexandra Burke

Series 16: with Katie Piper

Series 18: with Maisie Smith

Series 19: with Katie McGlynn

Series 20: with Helen Skelton

Dance tours and other professional engagements

In September 2022 Márquez announced he would be appearing at Donahey's 2023 Dancing with The Stars Weekends.

Personal life

As of 2023, Márquez is engaged to British actress

Gemma Atkinson Gemma Louise Atkinson (born 16 November 1984) is an English influencer, actress, radio presenter and former glamour model. She played Lisa Hunter in ''Hollyoaks'' (2001–2005, 2022) and in three spin-off series, '' Hollyoaks: After Hours'' (20 ...

. Atkinson gave birth to a baby girl, Mia, on 4 July 2019. She and Márquez announced their engagement on 14 February 2021.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Marquez, Gorka 1990 births Spanish expatriates in England Living people Spanish male dancers Spanish choreographers People from Bilbao Participants in British reality television series