It's Strictly about the dancing for duo Gorka and Karen dynamic

IT HASN’T started very smoothly... T cannot be looking at the screen,” insists Strictly Come Dancing’s Gorka Marquez. But I can’t see you,” I protest. No, we didn’t plan on visuals today,’ one of Gorka’s several representatives, who I can’t see either, interjects.

- Mic Wal nan

We are trying to accomplish that modish phenomenon... the Zoom interview.

But with Gorka like Bono, a one-name star invisible and the signal coming and going, it is not going terribly well.

I had been warned interviewing Gorka could be tricky”.

His ever-present reps had already laid down the rules: Gorka has requested questions to be submitted in advance for approval. In addition, there are specific topics he will not cover.”

Oh? Anything about his relationship with Gemma he will not discuss or focus content on this.” And? Any gossip about the personal lives of any of his Strictly partners.”

I explained I never write questions in advance. That what I was after was a chat. Hmm. Could I send some sort of outline?

“Gemma” is Gemma Atkinson, the 38-year-old former star of Hollyoaks, Casualty and Emmerdale.

She has been Gorka’s partner since they met on Strictly in 2017, when she was one of the celebrity dancers.

Currently the drive time host of Hits Radio Network, Gemma is a regular on Loose Women. She’s a social media queen, and almost all of it involves Gorka, who is six years younger.

But he doesn’t want to go there.

Instead, I ask about that moment when he and his celebrity partner, TV presenter Helen Skelton, realised they had lost in the final of Strictly 2022, and his face fell not into a frown so much as a fury.

Many Strictly fans were shocked.