STRICTLY Come Dancing and Emmerdale star Gemma Atkinson has revealed she feels ‘a little sad’ when she looks back at some of her old 'ripped' modelling photos when she was super slim.
The mother of two, who recently returned to TV on Channel W, responded to a fan who asked her about her changing physique.
The 39-year-old currently presents the drive time slot across the Hits Radio Network and has her own show with her partner, Strictly pro Gorka Marquez, with whom she shares two children.
The couple’s new show on Channel W, Gemma & Gorka: Life Behind The Lens, gives fans an insight into their personal lives away from the cameras.
However, the former Emmerdale star recently admitted that her old 'super lean' photos make her sad for a surprising reason.
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Taking to social media, the actress responded candidly to a fan who asked about her old modelling figure.
She explained how looking back on her "old shape" sometimes makes her sad, not because she used to be skinnier, but because the pictures bring back bad memories of times she struggled mentally.
On an Instagram post which showed the mum of two modelling sports bras, a fan asked Gemma’: “You’re ripped! Do you look back at your old photos and know you’re in better shape now?”
She replied with a classic snap of herself looking "super lean," writing: “Thank you! Cheesy as it sounds, with any picture I look back on, I don’t really look at my shape.
“I relate it to how I felt at that time, which can either make me smile or feel a little sad regardless of my shape.
“This pic, for example, I was super lean, but a few months earlier, I went through an awful time personally, so when I see the pic, despite being in shape, I feel relieved that I’m not in that place any more (if that makes sense).”
Gemma’s admission comes after she recently discussed how her young family deals with Gorka being away from their two children, Thiago and Mia, while he works.
The 33-year-old has been waltzing on the dancefloor on the celebrity BBC dancing show since 2016.
He has seen significant success with stars such as Alexandra Burke, Maisie Smith, and Helen Skelton.
They were all runners up as he has also taken to the floor with the likes of Katie Piper, Katie McGlynn and Nikita Kanda.
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Ahead of their new series, Gemma made a heartbreaking admission as she told The Sun's TV Mag: "When they said they wanted another series and we want six episodes, we were like: ‘Oh my God, that’s amazing.’
"And it feels like the right time to do it while I’m still on maternity and with Gorka’s Dancing With The Stars he’s home more than if he does Strictly."
She added: "He’s only away Friday afternoons to Sunday mornings; now is the time to do all of this stuff.
"When Gorka is back on tour and I’m back at work full-time, we wouldn’t be able to do it."
Back in the 2000s, Gemma got her big break in acting after she played Lisa Hunter in Hollyoaks from 2001 to 2005.
She later returned to the show in 2022 and has also appeared in three spin-off series: Hollyoaks: After Hours (2004), Hollyoaks: Let Loose (2005), and Hollyoaks: In the City (2006).
The former glamour model also played the role of Tamzin Bayle in Casualty from 2011–2012.
In 2014, she reprised her role as Tazim and returned to the BBC medical drama.
The following year, she was seen portraying Carly Hope in Emmerdale from 2015 to 2017.
Channel 4 announced in November 2021 that Gemma was set to reprise her role as Lisa in Hollyoaks.
Gemma & Gorka: Life Behind The Lens is available to stream on Channel W.
