Gemma Atkinson's unusual sleeping arrangements with fiancé Gorka Marquez at Manchester home

Gemma Atkinson and Gorka Marquez both travel a lot for work, but their base is Manchester where they share a modern home with their two children Mia and Thiago.

While the property appears to offer the Steph's Packed Lunch star and the Strictly Come Dancing professional plenty of space, Gemma opened up about her sleeping arrangements with her fiancé, who regularly spends time away from their family house.

Gorka not only tours with Karen Hauer for Firedance, but he is also a new judge on the Spanish version of Strictly, called Bailando Con Las Estrellas, meaning he is filming in Spain every weekend. Seeing the positive side of their separation, Gemma said it offers her some quality bonding time with their kids – who even share her bed!

"If I’m with someone 24/7, I get really bored of them and they do my head in. Even looking at the back of their head can annoy me! I love my own space, and whenever he’s on Strictly, I see it as my time on my own with Mia and Thiago. Mia sleeps in my bed and it’s so nice," the Hollyoaks actress told The Sun.

"He flies out on the Friday and his flight home on Sunday lands at 10am. So, compared to Strictly, it’s actually very easy," she continued, adding they are buying a holiday home in Spain, which could make Gorka's work commitments and their visits to his family easier.

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Shutting down any rumours of relationship troubles, the loved-up Emmerdale actress gushed: "And it’s bizarre how you can feel so connected, even though you’re physically apart. It’s six years now, but I still miss him when he’s away and we still have things to talk about when we’re together."

Gemma previously opened the doors to their home during their show, Gemma and Gorka: Life Behind the Lens. The modern exterior with its white and brick façade and dark windows and doors becomes more homely the moment you step inside, where the couple have decorated the open-plan space with warm, inviting colours.

The kitchen and dining space features a marble kitchen island with industrial-style copper lamps hanging overhead and a wooden dining table in front of large patio doors. Meanwhile, the white walls of the living room are broken up by the colour pop of the navy sofas topped with an array of rainbow-hued cushions.

Gemma and Gorka's love story began after meeting on Strictly in 2017, and although they got engaged on Valentine’s Day in 2019, they are yet to set a wedding date. The couple have prioritised raising their young family, with Gemma stating that she is passing down important lessons to her kids about splitting home chores equally.

"The thought of me in a formal dress with an apron on doing everything around the house, while Gorka works doesn’t appeal to me at all! I like to think that we’re equal – we’re both working, we’re both running a home, and we’re both contributing," she told The Female Lead on the subject of gender roles in the household.

Speaking about divvying up tasks between herself, Gorka and Mia, Gemma added: "We sit down and think, ‘We need to do a big shop, we need to get the ironing done, we need to hoover the stairs – so we’ll say, 'Well, if you go to the supermarket, I’ll do this, this and this at home.'"

Meanwhile, Mia has her own chores. "Once she’s had her breakfast, I ask her to bring me her plate. If the dogs finish their food, she gives me their bowls."

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