Bearing all? No, Gemma sidesteps romance rumours
STRICTLY contestant Gemma Atkinson yesterday dodged rumours of a romance with one of the show’s professional dancers.
Ms Atkinson is said to be having an affair with Gorka Marquez – not her own partner on the show but that of rival celebrity contestant Alexandra Burke.
Speaking hours before last night’s show, the former Emmerdale actress, 32, failed to confirm or deny the rumours, saying: ‘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 am doing personally.’
According to reports last week, Ms Atkinson’s relationship with Spanishborn Marquez, 27, has led to tensions on the Strictly set, with 2008 X Factor winner Burke, 29, complaining that her partner is spending too much time with Atkinson rather than her, jeopardising her chances in the contest.
Ms Atkinson, who split from a long-term boyfriend last year, insisted that all the contestants were getting on well and that she wouldn’t be put off her stride by the rumours about Marquez, who broke up with a fiancée last year. It was Strictly’s Movie Night last night and Ms Atkinson dressed as a bear for a Charleston with her professional partner Aljaz Skorjanec to The Bare Necessities from The Jungle Book.
The Reverend Richard Coles opted for a devilish red outfit for a Paso Doble to the Flash Gordon theme. Earlier in the day the vicar revealed that he had lost a stone in weight thanks to his vigorous training schedule.