Strictly Come Dancing stars Gorka Marquez and Gemma Atkinson are pulling out all the stops to make sure baby Mia's first Christmas is super special. The couple, who met during Strictly back in 2017, are set to take part in this year's Christmas special - the first time viewers will see them perform together as Gemma was partnered up with Aljaz Skorjanec. Speaking to reporters at the recent press launch, Gemma revealed that they plan to dress their five-month-old daughter in various outfits – including a mini Santa's one! "I've got about four, I've got loads of different outfits for her," she shared.
"But I kind of just know she won't remember it, we just want to. For my 18th, my uncle gave me a DVD and it was my first five birthdays and my first five Christmases that he recorded and he gave to me. So I just said to you [Gorka], I want to film as much as possible and she loves the Christmas tree and still do the mince pie and everything like that."
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"Obviously in Spain, they celebrate on the 24th and you have your Three Kings don't you?" To which, Gorka quipped: "That's in January… We celebrate Christmas Day on the 25th but it's like lunch and then Christmas Eve we have a massive dinner also. Spanish people we love parties, it's an excuse to eat and get drunk. So we do that twice. Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, and then New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. We do four and then the Three Kings. Shall we move to Spain?"
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The mum-of-one went on to open up about how difficult she has found it stepping back into the rehearsal studio so soon after giving birth. The former Emmerdale actress admitted that she had to "get over" the fact that she was given the dance style for the Christmas special, despite finding it the most challenging during her time on the show back in 2017.
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She said: "My stamina has completely changed, massively. During Strictly, one of the dances I found the hardest and got the lowest score for was the Jive, and that's what we're doing for the Christmas special - so I've been thrown in at the deep end again. It's just something I need to try and get over and enjoy it."
"I've not danced at all, no," she confessed when asked if the pair dance at home. "People always say to me, 'Do you and Gorka dance together at home?' And we've never danced together at all. All I've done since Strictly is have a baby." That being said, Gemma added that Gorka was an excellent teacher, explaining: "Dancing with Aljaž was so amazing. Dancing with Gorka is funny because he's very authoritative in the dance studio, which makes me laugh because at home it's me that wears the trousers! I've never seen Gorka at work so to speak, but he's a fantastic teacher."
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