Gemma’s in a twist over Gorka fling rumours
I WON’T DISCUSS MY LOVE LIFE, SAYS ACTRESS
DRAFTED
last bit. It turned out I didn’t fit the bill. They went for Iwan. That’s the way it goes.” Fans will be surprised to learn bosses turned Sally down because in recent weeks it’s been claimed the show is struggling to attract big names.
Producers were slammed when lesser-known stars including comic Susan Calman, 42, and Holby
City’s Joe McFadden, 41, were chosen.
Sally, however, has vowed she would never do Celebrity Big Brother or I’m A Celebrity.
She said: “I always think when you’re a sporting person you’re always there as the one who is going to win at all odds. I don’t want to come across as that.”
Olympic gold medal winner Sally is backing a campaign to raise awareness of the risk of meningitis for teens.
For details visit tacklemeningitis.org.
GEMMA Atkinson is staying tight-lipped over rumours she is dating Strictly hunk Gorka Marquez.
The telly siren, 32, has refused to deny they have started a romance behind the scenes.
When asked if they are more than friends, Gemma said: “I really don’t want to talk about my love life to be honest.
“I don’t feel I need to respond to anyone about what I’m doing.”
Gemma and Gorka, 27, inset, have been spending time together outside of rehearsals.
Their close bond has been attracting attention over the past few weeks but Gemma says it does not bother her.
The former Emmerdale star added:
“I’m used to it. I’ve had to talk about who
I’m dating for the past 15 years. You’ve got to take everything with a pinch of salt.”
Reports have claimed their close friendship has angered Gorka’s celeb dance partner Alexandra Burke.
But Gemma said they have not talked about it yet.
She said: “We’re all so focused on the dancing that we haven’t really got time to pay attention to anything that’s said outside.
“We’re all getting on with it, having a laugh and enjoying ourselves.
“We’re all hanging out after training together. The main focus is the dancing.”
Gemma has been training for eight hours a day with pro partner Aljaz Skorjanec, 27, to stay in the contest.
But she is still crippled by nerves before each live TV Editor show. She said: “When we performed first it was horrendous. I knew that if it went wrong we’d open the show on the wrong note. I do get really nervous.
“We all get nervous before each performance. It’s so different doing it in the studio with the judges, the live audience and the viewers at home. So there are always nerves coming through.
“You get one shot to get it right. It’s that one dance to prove how hard we’ve worked.”
Aljaz has won Strictly in the past but his training with Gemma has still had its mishaps. Gemma, who is 9/1 with the bookies Betfair to win Strictly, said: “This week we tried a lift for the first time and he dropped me on my head. “Thankfully, it was nothing serious. He dropped me, I hit my head but then we got up and had a laugh about it. We tried it a second time and it went on OK.
“I’ve not had any serious injuries but I’ve had aches and my ankle is a bit sore.”
Last night’s movie theme saw Gemma and Aljaz performing a Charleston to The Bare Necessities from cartoon The Jungle Book.
She stole the show by wearing a tight catsuit.
Gemma has been seen in a series of sexy outfits so far this series.
She said: “I don’t want my costumes to be risqué, I just want them to fit the dance.”
Other couples danced to hits from films including Top Gun, Toy Story, Saturday Night Fever and Wonder Woman.