STRICTLY couple Gemma Atkinson and Gorka Marquez are reportedly 'going through a rough patch' ahead of their wedding.
The pair, who have a daughter Mia, 4, and son Thiago, six months, together, are said to battling 'tension' in their relationship due to Gorka's work commitments keeping him away from the family home.
According to The Mirror, mum of two Gemma has grown "frustrated" because she is "effectively raising two kids by herself".
Insiders close to the couple claim that Gorka was unable to return to the family home in Manchester during the final six weeks of Strictly Come Dancing late last year - despite being voted out in week three.
And now Gorka has signed up to be a judge on the Spanish version of Strictly, known as 'Bailando con las Estrellas', meaning he will be spending a lot of time in Madrid for work.
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A source told the publication: "Gemma knows how important Gorka’s work is to him and goes above and beyond to be supportive. But she found it challenging when he wasn’t able to travel back to Manchester to spend time with her and the kids, even when he’d been voted off last year’s series.
"She’d been hoping they would have more time after the show finished, as he usually opts out of the tour to focus on family.
"But then he signed up to Bailando con las Estrellas, and the plan changed. Gemma knows he’s just wanting to support his family, but it’s disappointing for her. It’s a really rough patch for them.
"As with any couple, the longer they’re apart, the more tension there is between them.”
Gorka is also said to be frustrated himself, as his work schedule has meant the family haven't been able to organise a trip to his home town of Bilbao so his youngest child Thiago can meet his elderly parents.
Gemma and Gorka got engaged on Valentine's Day 2021.
They met when Gemma competed on Strictly in 2017. Her pro partner was Aljaž Škorjanec but a romance blossomed with Gorka behind the scenes.
Gorka and Gemma then competed as a duo on Strictly's 2019 Christmas special.
The pair are yet to confirm a wedding day but previously told Hello! that it was proving stressful.
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Opening up about the "stress" of wedding planning, Gemma said: "We have spoken about getting married a few times, talking about what we want to do.
"Half the time we say we should just go to the registry office and do it there, and then it's done, then have a big party. I think that will be the route we will go down."
