Gorka Marquez has addressed the speculation that he is leaving Strictly Come Dancing, saying that fans thought he was ‘fuming’ when he and Helen Skelton lost to Hamza Yassin and Jowita Pryzstal.
Gorka’s response was captured on tape, and social media users instantly noticed his sadness during the dramatic final.
Helen stole the hearts of the public after going from strength to strength each week following her shocking breakup from husband Richie Myler only months before hitting the ballroom, but it was documentary maker Hamza who brought home the glitterball.
Dad-of-two Gorka has now spoken out about the loss and why supporters may have assumed he wouldn’t be back.
He said: ‘I think because I didn’t win and I wanted to win it, and the reaction I had when I didn’t win it, because you know what, we thought we were going to win it just at that moment because of the audience in the room.
‘When you make the final and you have been in the dance-off you think, OK you don’t get the votes from the audience and it’s difficult.
‘But when you make it to the final without being in the dance-off, you feel like you have the support of the audience and I thought we could win it.’
Speaking on the Show on the Road podcast, Gorka went on: ‘Hamza was incredible, he was so amazing.’
‘I’m very proud of them two, and very happy for them that they won it, but at the same time, I was like oh I want to win it.
‘My reaction to it was just the reaction of someone who cares and loves the show and wanted to win for my celebrity.
‘That is why I was upset, and I think I had the right to be upset.’
Shortly after the defeat, suspicions circulated that Gorka would be leaving the show, which was subsequently denied by his fiancée Gemma Atkinson.
Gorka had the’seven-year itch’ and wanted to pursue other ventures, according to a source, while many noticed he had missing out on the Strictly tour – later explaining that he missed it because he wanted to spend more time with his girlfriend and their daughter Mia.
He’s now insisted he’ll never leave, saying: ‘I will never leave the show, I love the show.
‘It’s the best show in telly and the best job I could dream of.’
Strictly Come Dancing returns to BBC One later this year.
