Gemma Atkinson and Gorka Marquez of Strictly Come Dancing are slated to feature in their own reality TV show.
The ballroom pair will participate in Gemma and Gorka: Life Behind the Lens, a documentary that will provide fans an unedited insight into their life as they prepare to birth their second child while coping with the rigours of motherhood and work.
The former Hollyoaks actress and her fiancé met on the 2017 series of Strictly Come Dancing, when she was partnered with Alja Korjanec and professional dancer Gorka was teamed with singer Alexandra Burke, and had their first child, daughter Mia, in July 2019.
The three-part series for W and UKTV Play will debut this summer and will follow Gemma, 38, from pregnancy through delivery.
‘We’re so excited to be working with W on a project that not only takes people behind closed doors, but also raises awareness of vaginal birth after Caesarean delivery, and an honest look into the journey of a second pregnancy after a previous traumatic birth,’ Gemma said in announcing the project.
‘We get lots of questions from people who have experienced something similar so it will be a great way for viewers to receive information from professionals who we meet along the way.’
Gemma believes that through airing the show, she may increase awareness of VBAC (Vaginal Birth After Caesarean), as Mia’s delivery necessitated an emergency C-section due to the baby’s heart rate dropping unexpectedly.
She said: ‘We get lots of questions from people who have experienced something similar so it will be a great way for viewers to receive information from professionals who we meet along the way.
‘Digging into why some of us end up having emergency C-sections and postpartum haemorrhages like I had, and showing the daunting reality of having another baby after a previous traumatic birth.
‘That was the game-changer as I’m asked about it by so many women who had similar circumstances.
‘To be able to sit and film with midwives, pelvic floor specialists, doctors and get all that info, as well as showing the chaos we live in as parents, we thought it’d help a lot of people.’