Gemma’s Strictly no time for men on her birthday
ASECRET admirer sent Gemma Atkinson a gorgeous bunch of red roses for her birthday but the Strictly Come Dancing star tells us there’s simply “no time” for romance as she knuckles down to rehearsals ahead of the big Blackpool show at the weekend.
It was Gemma’s 33rd birthday yesterday, but there’s been no chance of a break for the star - who headed to broadcast her Key 103 breakfast show in Castlefield in the morning, where she received the gorgeous bunch of blooms.
The secret admirer may be trying his luck with the impressive gift, but Gemma insists she has no time for men at the moment, fresh from rubbishing all those rumours about a previous romance with Manchester United star Ryan Giggs and Strictly professional dancer Gorka Marquez.
Gemma told the M.E.N.: “I’m so, so busy I’ve no time for anything other than dancing!”
How has it felt for Gemma to have seen all the headlines about her supposed relationships with the likes of Gorka and Giggs?
She said: “To be honest, it’s not affected me at all, I’m used to hearing things and reading things that are far from true. We don’t buy into it as long as we keep doing our job we don’t care about what’s being said.”
And Gemma had the perfect way to silence the Giggs rumours once and for all - by inviting him onto her radio show alongside cohosts Mike Toolan and Matt Haslam where the former footballer confirmed they had always been friends, joking “as if” to the suggestion they’d be dating!
Gemma said: “Obviously it’s unfortunate that any guy I hang out with outside of work that people think I’m dating him, he’s [Giggs] literally just a mate, and it was nice to have him on the show.
“I even got linked to Toolan months ago, someone rung up and said had we had a kiss on the car park!”
Her professional dance partner Aljaz Skorjanec is keeping her busy with rehearsals - although he had a tough job on his hands as it was both Gemma’s and his wife’s, fellow dancer Janette Manrara’s, birthday yesterday!
Aljaz laughs: “I’m going to give them both a lovely day.
“I’m going to make Gemma rehearse all day, we’ll be dancing all day but she loves it. “It will be a lovely birthday.” Gemma can’t wait to dance at the Blackpool Tower Ballroom on Saturday night - as she has never been inside the tower before, admitting her early memories of Blackpool were of “the chippies and the amusement arcades”.
She said: “It will be performing up north so already I feela lot more comfortable.
“I’ve got my family watching and I’m feeling a lot more excited than nervous, I just can’t wait to get out there.”