He is only a few weeks old, but little Thiago Thomas Márquez is already set for stardom, appearing alongside his famous parents Gemma Atkinson and Gorka Márquez, plus big sister Mia, in a new TV series.
Watch Gemma Atkinson's daughter Mia's love for brother Thiago will melt your heart...
Inside Gemma Atkinson and Gorka Marquez's romance:
As the couple welcome cameras into their lives to follow life as second-time parents, actress and presenter Gemma tells HELLO! how her fiancé, Strictly Come Dancing professional Gorka, has been busy making sure everything runs smoothly. "He's Mrs Doubtfire at the minute," says Gemma, 38, of the man she started dating after taking part in the hit BBC1 show in 2017. "Gorka loves cooking and cleaning and I’m obviously doing the feeding. We are a nice little tag team – we make it work like everyone else."
Already parents to four-year-old daughter Mia, they both say they feel in an ideal place as family of four. "Now Thiago is here, it doesn’t feel much different to how things were before, although there are more people in the house," the proud dad tells us. "We have been juggling Mia and Thiago, but it’s just perfect and Mia is so good with him."
Gemma, his fiancée of two years, adds: "It’s like it’s always been the four of us, which is weird as just a few days ago, it wasn’t." She announced the birth on Instagram on 19 July, telling her followers: "Little man is here! He arrived safe and sound and he’s utterly wonderful." Born at the Royal Bolton hospital, close to the home they share in Manchester, baby Thiago is named after his grandparents. Gemma says: "Thiago is a Portuguese name [Gorka’s mum is from Portugal] and Thomas was my dad's middle name, so there’s the mix of the two."
Inside Mia and Thiago's sweet relationship:
She is fab with him. The first thing she did this morning was say: ‘Where’s my brother?’ She always wants to do everything for him
Mia, Gemma says, is a real "mother hen" and is delighted to be a big sister. “She is fab with him. The first thing she did this morning was say: ‘Where’s my brother?’ She always wants to do everything for him."
Fellow Strictly Come Dancing stars becoming parents:
They also have a ready-made set of baby friends for their new son. Gemma and Gorka’s close friends, former Strictly pros Aljaz Skorjanec and Janette Manrara – who live nearby – recently welcomed baby daughter Lyra Rose, while fellow dancer Neil Jones is expecting his first child with fiancée Chyna Mills. The couple are clearly deeply in love, and their close relationship will soon be seen on the small screen as they star in their first reality show together – Gemma and Gorka: Life Behind the Lens, on W.
Gorka returning to Strictly:
When HELLO! speaks to the couple, they are still in the newborn baby bubble, but talk turns to Gorka’s role in Strictly rehearsals. After Mia’s birth in 2019, the dancer, 32, returned to work three days later – but things are different following Thiago’s arrival. "This time around, we have a full week together and it feels like a blessing," he says. “When I leave now, I’m thinking: 'Okay, Gemma is safe, she can move, she can be independent.'
When Mia was born and I had to leave, I was crying because Gemma was in bed – she couldn’t even lift herself up – and I thought: ‘Why am I leaving?’ I just felt so guilty." Gemma says: "My support network is incredible. It’s great because my mum is up the road, I’ve got my sister nearby and all my friends. I’m in such an amazing position compared with families where people do this on their own."
Photography: GUY LEVY for W
Gemma and Gorka: Life Behind the Lens is on W and UKTV Play on Wednesday 30 August at 8pm.
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