Yahoo News Gemma Atkinson shares feeling for Gorka Marquez she 'doesn't know' as she addresses time apart
Gemma Atkinson has sweetly opened up about watching Gorka Marquez as a dad to their two children as they are set to spend the best part of five weeks apart. The couple are no strangers to being away from each other due to their busy working lives alongside being doting parents.
Gemma, 39, and Gorka, 33, welcomed their son, Thiago, back in July, just over four years after the birth of their daughter Mia. Several months on and Bury-born Gemma has recently returned to her main job on Hits Radio where she co-hosts the drivetime slot from 4pm alongside Mike Toolan and with producer Matt.
Speaking exclusively to the Manchester Evening News about her return to the airwaves, Gemma said when asked how she was feeling: "It's a bit of a double-edged sword to be honest," as she reflected on her maternity leave coming to an end.
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"There's half of me that is really looking forward to having the routine again and being back with Toolan and Producer Matt and engaging with the listeners again because I obviously love the job. But then there's the other half of me that, because I know Thiago is our last baby, I'm never going to get that time at home again in my bubble that's the most exhausting but yet wonderful baby bubble.
"So it's mixed emotions really. I think any mum going back [to work] after maternity has both. Some days are like, 'Get me back in a studio with actual adults,' but then other days I'm like, 'Oh no, I just want him [Thiago] to stay asleep on me'."
it's not the first time that Gemma has mentioned Thiago being her and Gorka's last baby and two always appears to have been the 'magic number' when it comes to their brood. And so it appears they're both still firm in their decision with Gemma, who has an older sister, Nina, herself, emotionally sharing why she wanted Mia to have a sibling.
"I've got a sister and Gorka's got a brother and I just know from being a child, I said to Gorka I have the most incredible relationship with Mia and we always say there's no secrets from your mum, you tell me everything," she shared. "It doesn't matter if you think you're in trouble, you still tell me. But I said there's going to be a time when there's stuff she doesn't want her mum or dad to know about and I know because I've been there.
"As close as you are, there's some stuff you don't want to tell them and I said I always wanted her to have someone she could tell and that'll be her brother, and vice versa. I just think for me, growing up with my sister, Nina's six years older than me but we had the best relationship and still do. She comes over once a week for her tea, we speak on the phone every day, I see her at the weekends, so I just always wanted Mia to have that person."
She added; "One day, hopefully a long, long way away, when things happen to me and Gorka, she'll have Thiago to help her through stuff. She won't be on her own. So I always, in my mind, was hoping for two babies. I didn't care if it was two boys, two girls or one of each, I just always thought I'd love to have two babies and some point and now we've got them, got one of each, I've said that shop is well and truly shut."
Gemma also opened up about how Gorka's finding being a dad-of-two and what it's like to see her fiance, who she met when she was a contestant on Strictly in 2017, as a parent.
"It's been wonderful. He's very natural as a dad. I don't know if that may be from the Spanish side of him. He is very caring and very sensitive and he's definitely the firmer parent. He only has to say Mia's name in a certain tone and she knows when she's crossed the line whereas with me she knows she can be a bit cheeky.
"But it's great. We recently came back from Tenerife and we were the perfect tag team over there. One of us would sit with Thiago on the beach bed, the other would go in the sea with Mia... Mia was great at amusing herself an giving us our time. I feel like we are a great team because we've both individually had time on our own with them while the other has been working so we know how difficult it can be. So when we're all together as a four, we make it as easy as possible for each other."
The former Hollyoaks and Emmerdale star added: "But there's something really lovely about seeing your partner with your children. I don't know what that feeling is, everyone told me about it before they were born. You've got a mini version of Gorka and a mini version of me now and it's lovely to see their personalities coming out. It's like we're arguing with ourselves sometimes talking to them."
But Gorka has had to face time away from home due to his job which has resulted in 'rough patch' rumours Gemma has previously rubbished. Asked how they get on with juggling both sides of their lives, Geamm told us: "I'm very fortunate that my mum and sister live really local and my mum and step-dad are retired and they've been amazing. It does take a village and thankfully my village is very close. But for me and Gorka, it's all we've ever known.
"When Mia was born, he had to go away when she was three days old but with Thiago, it was a lot easier... But I think we're just lucky, we have FactTime... We can't see him as often now because we have to do things around term time. When Mia was at nursery I could take her out for two or three days and go on the tour with him but that's not possible now. But it's just FaceTime and lots of phone calls really."
She added: "He's away now for about five weeks [on the Strictly Come Dancing The Professionals tour]. He'll have maybe four or fave days in that time at home, maybe a bit less, but then he's off the whole of June and whole of July so we just try and balance it out really."
And Gemma and Mia will be there in the audience when he performs in Manchester at the Bridgewater Hall. "But again it's in the week so I will take Mia because she loves to watch him, but it's one of them where she's got school the next day. It'll be a late night for her but it's the small sacrifices that you make.
"She's hopefully going to want to watch him dance forever and ever but there might be a time when he says he's performing on a Saturday and she might turn around and say, 'Yeah but I wanna go out with the girls!' So we're trying to make the most of it while we can."
