Strictly's Gorka Márquez has only seen baby son 'a few times' due to gruelling show schedule

ok.co.uk:

Strictly Come Dancing star Gorka Márquez has only seen his newborn son 'a few times' due to his strict filming commitments. With the popular BBC dance competition just weeks away, his partner Gemma Atkinson revealed that the gruelling schedule has him spending a lot of time away from home, despite them just welcoming a new baby.The pair welcomed son Thiago Thomas Márquez, their second child, in July.

Opening up about Gorka’s work commitments on Steph's Packed Lunch on Monday, Gemma confirmed that he has already been working away for months.

Admitting that it has been ‘hard,’ Gemma said, "Yeah, he's back in London. "He was away for three weeks, and then he was home this Friday and Saturday, and he went back down yesterday. "He's home at the weekend, but once the show starts, depending on where his partner is, he'll have to go [off again]," she continued to tell host Steph McGovern.

After being asked if he's only seen Thiago 'a few times,' Gemma replied: "Yeah, when he was born, [Gorka] had a week at home with him, and since then he's had three weekends with him, and that's it." After Steph sympathised with her, saying that it 'must be so hard,' former Hollyoaks star Gemma, who met Gorka on Strictly in 2017, added: "I always say that every year when they announce [the line-up], the first thing I do, I don't want their height or anything like that, I go 'where are they based?' Because it means he can come home after rehearsals. "When he was dancing with Helen [Skelton], she was fabulous.They rehearsed in Penrith, but Helen said 'look, I've got kids, I know you've got Mia and how hard it is, let's meet halfway.' And they actually rehearsed in Preston, so he was home within about half an hour each night." Gemma and Gorka went.