Strictly Come Dancing's Gemma Atkinson and Gorka Marquez have become used to a long-distance relationship since they began dating at the start of the year. But this week, the couple had the chance to enjoy some much-needed time together. Gemma and Gorka are among the stars on board the Strictly Come Dancing cruise, and have been documenting their trip on social media. Gorka posted a loved-up photo of the pair relaxing on the deck of the ship, writing next to it: "Finally some Spanish sun!!" In another recent photo, the pair looked smart at a black tie dinner, which the professional dancer simply captioned: "Date night."
The couple have been together since teaming up on the Strictly Come Dancing 2017 tour, and Gemma has previously spoken out about how th long distance between them can actually be a blessing. "He's very funny, I like the fact that he's funny he makes me laugh and because he's in London and I'm in Manchester I think that's a good thing because you both have to make an effort to see each other," she told Manchester Evening News.
Strictly Come Dancing's Gemma Atkinson and Gorka Marquez are spending quality time together on the Strictly cruise ship
Gemma and Gorka are joined on the cruise by AJ Pritchard, Chloe Hewitt, Dianne Buswell and her soap star boyfriend, Emmerdale star Anthony Quinlan. Anthony even celebrated his birthday on board the ship. On Sunday, the actor turned 33, and Dianne paid tribute to him in a sweet Instagram post. "He gets better with age, lovely night on the ship celebrating @anthonyquinny's birthday," she wrote.
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The pair have been dating since the beginning of the year
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The Strictly cruise ship left Southampton on Friday, and its next point of call is Alicante on Tuesday, before heading to Barcelona. Other stops on the journey include Rome and Gibraltar, before it returns back to Southampton on 27 April. The cruise ship is the Azura, one of P&O Cruises' largest ships, and sounds an ideal holiday for all Strictly fans – who have the chance to have private one-to-one lessons with the professional dancers, as well as watch them perform on stage in the evening.