Gemma Atkinson: Career, Relationship with Gorka, and FAQs
If you remember her as Lisa Hunter in Hollyoaks, you’re not alone. Gemma Atkinson has spent two decades moving between soap fame, reality television, and family content, and she met her fiancé Gorka Márquez on the 2017 series of Strictly Come Dancing, according to Hits Radio, with the answers to the most searched questions about her life starting with her Hollyoaks years and ending with the details the internet still can’t settle.
Born: 16 November 1984 Hits Radio · Birthplace: Bury, Greater Manchester · Known for: Hollyoaks and Emmerdale · Partner: Gorka Marquez (fiancé) · Children: 2 WalesOnline
Quick snapshot
- Born on 16 November 1984 (Hits Radio) (Hits Radio)
- Played Lisa Hunter from 2001 to 2005 (Hits Radio) (Hits Radio)
- Finished runner-up on Strictly in 2017 Hits Radio
- Has two children, Mia and Thiago (WalesOnline) (Hits Radio)
- Exact diagnosis for daughter Mia
- Why the couple have not set a wedding date
- Exact heights of Gemma and Gorka
- Gorka’s future on Strictly after partner changes
- Whether the couple are expecting a third child
- 2001: Hollyoaks begins (Hits Radio)
- 2017: Strictly and meeting Gorka (WalesOnline)
- 2021: Engagement (Head Topics)
- 2023: Son Thiago born (WalesOnline)
- Podcast Lost In Translation is live Hits Radio
- No confirmed wedding date (Hits Radio)
- No confirmed Strictly exit for Gorka (Hits Radio)
Six facts, one pattern: most of what people remember about Gemma Atkinson comes from a single decade of high-profile TV work.
| Label | Value |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Gemma Louise Atkinson |
| Born | 16 November 1984 (Hits Radio) |
| Birthplace | Bury, Greater Manchester |
| Occupation | Actress, TV personality, model |
| Partner | Gorka Marquez (fiancé) |
| Children | 2 — Mia and Thiago (WalesOnline) |
Who was Gemma Atkinson in Hollyoaks?
Hollyoaks gave Atkinson her breakout, but it didn’t define her; she later moved to Emmerdale, then Strictly, and finally to podcasts.
Atkinson was born on 16 November 1984 in Bury, Greater Manchester, according to Hits Radio. Her best-known role came when she joined Hollyoaks as Lisa Hunter, a part she played from 2001 to 2005, according to the same profile.
- Hollyoaks: Lisa Hunter, 2001–2005 (Hits Radio)
- Spin-offs: Hollyoaks: After Hours, Let Loose, and In the City (2004–2006) (Hits Radio)
- Emmerdale: Carly Hope (Hits Radio)
That combination of soap credibility and reality-TV stamina is what later made her a natural Strictly signing. She entered the 2017 series as a contestant, was paired with Aljaž Škorjanec, and finished as runner-up, according to Hits Radio.
What this means: Atkinson’s television identity is broader than one soap. The path from Hollyoaks to Emmerdale to Strictly turned her into a name who could carry a podcast about family life with a professional dancer.
How did Gemma Atkinson meet Gorka?
Every “are they still together” search points to the same fact: they met on a TV show where neither was partnered with the other.
Atkinson and Márquez met during the 2017 series of Strictly Come Dancing. Atkinson was paired with Aljaž Škorjanec, while Márquez danced with Alexandra Burke, according to WalesOnline. They began their relationship after the series, with the pairing confirmed publicly later, according to the same report.
- 2017: Met on Strictly (WalesOnline)
- 2021: Engaged on Valentine’s Day (Head Topics)
- 2019 & 2023: Daughter Mia and son Thiago born (WalesOnline)
The ring on Gorka’s finger is often read as proof of marriage, but the sourced record confirms the engagement, not a wedding. That makes it a useful symbol of commitment and a shaky piece of evidence.
The wedding question remains open. No public source in the material reviewed gives a reason for the delay; the couple have simply not announced a date.
The trade-off: a private engagement keeps the story alive, but it also encourages fans to fill the gap with guesses about rings, weddings, and breakups.
What has Gemma Atkinson’s daughter been diagnosed with?
The short answer is that no confirmed diagnosis has been made public. Atkinson and Márquez have shared some family details, including that their daughter needs therapy, but they have not named the condition in the available reporting.
What is confirmed are the birth dates: Mia arrived in July 2019 and Thiago in July 2023, according to WalesOnline. The family’s desire for privacy is part of why the health question gets “no comment” rather than a headline.
Rumours of a third pregnancy have also circulated. There has been no official confirmation from either partner.
The absence of a confirmed diagnosis is itself the answer. Anyone claiming otherwise is repeating unverified gossip, not facts.
Why is Gorka leaving Strictly Come Dancing?
There is no evidence in the sourced record that Gorka Márquez is leaving Strictly for good.
The rumour appears to have grown from dance-partner details. In the 2017 series, Márquez was paired with Alexandra Burke, not with Atkinson, according to WalesOnline. That has led some fans to assume he quit or was sidelined.
No official statement from the BBC or from Márquez confirming a departure appears in the material reviewed. Reports about a specific partner such as Helen also lack a confirmed explanation.
Márquez remains a professional dancer on Strictly, but commitments outside the show can mean sitting out a series. A partner change is not the same as an exit.
The pattern: every new Strictly line-up creates a fresh wave of farewell speculation, and the longer the official silence, the louder the rumours get.
Is Gemma taller than Gorka?
Gemma Atkinson is often perceived as taller than Gorka Márquez, particularly when she wears heels. Their exact heights are not officially published, and the numbers circulating online are estimates, not confirmed measurements.
The height gap became part of their public image in part because Atkinson was born in 1984 and Márquez in 1989, a four-year difference in birth years that fans often pair with the heel effect.
A height difference that would be invisible in most magazines becomes a public obsession because the couple is front-and-centre of TV coverage.
What this means: the height question is less about centimetres and more about how much of their personal life is already public.
Timeline: Gemma Atkinson and Gorka Marquez
Eight dates, one storyline: a soap career turned into a reality-TV romance that now feeds a family media brand.
| Year | Event | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Born in Bury | Hits Radio |
| 2001–2005 | Played Lisa Hunter in Hollyoaks | Hits Radio |
| 2017 | Met Gorka on Strictly | WalesOnline |
| 2019 | Daughter Mia born | WalesOnline |
| 2021 | Engaged | Head Topics |
| 2023 | Son Thiago born | WalesOnline |
| 2025 | Podcast Lost In Translation launched | Hits Radio |
The next real update will come from the couple themselves, not from social clips: a wedding date, a third pregnancy, or a BBC statement about Strictly.
What’s confirmed and what’s still unclear
Confirmed facts
- Born 16 November 1984 (Hits Radio)
- Played Lisa Hunter in Hollyoaks (Hits Radio)
- Met Gorka on Strictly in 2017 (WalesOnline)
- Engaged in 2021 (Head Topics)
- Two children, Mia and Thiago (WalesOnline)
What’s unclear
- Daughter’s exact diagnosis
- Wedding date
- Gorka’s Strictly exit rumours
- Exact heights and current measurements
- Whether the couple are expecting a third child
What the sources say
“Gemma Atkinson was born on 16 November 1984.”
Hits Radio
“Atkinson and Márquez began their relationship after meeting during the 2017 series, with the relationship publicly confirmed later.”
WalesOnline
“Atkinson and Márquez became engaged on Valentine’s Day in 2021.”
Head Topics
The takeaway
The record is clearer than the comment sections suggest: Gemma Atkinson is a former soap actress and runner-up Strictly contestant, now engaged to Gorka Márquez and raising two children. For anyone following the couple, the choice is straightforward: wait for an official wedding date, pregnancy announcement, or Strictly statement before repeating the next rumour — or keep feeding a story that the sourcing cannot support.
hellorayo.co.uk, hellorayo.co.uk, femalefirst.co.uk, us.headtopics.com, femalefirst.co.uk
Frequently asked questions
Did Gemma Atkinson win Strictly Come Dancing?
No. She and Aljaž Škorjanec were runners-up in the 2017 series, according to Hits Radio. Joe McFadden and Katya Jones won.
How many children does Gemma Atkinson have?
Two: Mia, born in July 2019, and Thiago, born in July 2023, according to WalesOnline.
Who are Gemma Atkinson’s ex-boyfriends?
The sourced research does not cover past relationships, and gossip lists should not be treated as fact.
What is Gemma Atkinson’s net worth?
No reliable figure appears in the sourced material reviewed.
Is Gemma Atkinson still acting?
She has not confirmed a major soap return in the sourced reporting; her recent public projects include the podcast Lost In Translation, according to Hits Radio.
What is Gemma Atkinson’s Instagram handle?
Her verified account is the only reliable source for that; third-party fan pages often use the same handle.
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