Gorka Márquez


Gorka Márquez is a Spanish dancer and choreographer, best known for appearing on the live dance show, Burn the Floor.

Early life

Márquez began dancing at the age of 12, representing Spain at the World Latin Championships in 2010, and reaching the semi-finals of the 2012 World Cup.

''Strictly Come Dancing''

In 2016, Márquez became a professional in BBC ballroom dancing show, Strictly Come Dancing for its fourteenth series. He was partnered with EastEnders actress, Tameka Empson and they were eliminated in week three of the competition. Márquez also danced with Anastacia in the fifth week of the competition, due to Brendan Cole being too ill to dance; they scored a total of 30 for their Quickstep, and were safe from the dance off.
In 2017, Márquez returned as a professional for the show's fifteenth series. He was partnered with singer and former The X Factor winner, Alexandra Burke. They reached the finals, but finished as joint-runners up. With Burke, Márquez holds the record for achieving the most tens in a single series with 32, surpassing Danny Mac and Oti Mabuse’s previous record of 26 tens.
In 2018, Márquez participated in the show's sixteenth series where he was partnered with philanthropist and television presenter Katie Piper. The couple finished in 13th place. The following year, after much speculation, Márquez personally announced that he had been demoted from the main professional line-up but insisted that he would still participate in weekly group dances.
SeriesPartnerPlaceAverage score
14Tameka Empson14th27.7
15Alexandra Burke2nd36.4
16Katie Piper13th17.5

Series 14: with Tameka Empson

Series 15: with Alexandra Burke

Series 16: with Katie Piper

Dance tours and other professional engagements

In September 2018 Márquez announced he would be appearing at Donahey's 2019 Dancing with The Stars Weekends.

Personal life

Márquez is currently in a relationship with Gemma Atkinson; the pair met during Strictly Come Dancing in 2017. On 1 February 2019, Atkinson announced on Instagram that they were expecting a baby. Their daughter, Mia, was born on 4 July 2019.