Gemma Atkinson’s wild love life before Gorka – Ronaldo fling to soap co-star romance

Actress and s have been happily together since meeting on the show in 2017 – but her dating life before him was very colourful.

Despite being single for some time, former Hollyoaks star Gemma had joked about welcoming the notorious “Strictly curse” if it led her to the right man. While Gemma was paired with Aljaz Skorjanec and Gorka was partnered with Alexandra Burke that season, this didn’t prevent them from sparking a sweet romance.

However, their flirtation and friendship reportedly caused a ‘feud’ behind the scenes. It was alleged that X Factor winner Alexandra was “furious” about how their relationship could affect her chances on the show.

A source told The Sun: “Gorka and Gemma are together. It’s the talk of the make-up room.”, reports the Mirror.

“Not surprisingly, Alexandra is furious about how it might impact her chances of winning. She’s very ambitious and is nervous about it all.”

Alexandra vehemently dismissed the feud rumours, while Gemma and Gorka did their utmost to quash speculation about their relationship status. They managed to keep their romance a secret until the following year.

After the BBC1 dance show’s finale, they remained in contact and surprised fans by sharing a video from an intense workout session on New Year’s Eve 2017. The pair then embarked on the Strictly Tour together, spending countless hours in each other’s company, all the while denying any romantic involvement.

It wasn’t until Valentine’s Day 2018 that they officially confirmed their relationship. Gemma took to to announce the news, posting a romantic picture of them on holiday together.

Since then, numerous affectionate photos and videos have been shared, much to the delight of their fans. In February 2019, Gemma once again used to reveal that they were expecting a baby.

Their daughter was born in July 2019, and Gemma and Gorka got engaged in February 2021, four years after meeting on . Announcing the joyous news on , Gemma wrote: “Valentine’s forever… Of course I said yes”.

Gorka shared the same picture, adding: “The best day with my forever Valentine’s. I asked and she said YES! ! ! ! ! ! ” However, they have yet to walk down the aisle, having had to postpone their wedding due to work commitments.

In a candid chat with New Magazine in 2022, Gemma revealed: “Gorka is literally on tour all of this year. We’ve only got four days off together.”

She also mentioned that their future nuptials are set to be an intimate affair. Before settling down with Gorka, Gemma reportedly had a colourful dating life, involving high-profile sportsmen and fellow actors.

Her last relationship before Gorka ended in betrayal, with Gemma alleging she was cheated on. Without dropping names, she recounted the painful discovery during her Hits Radio show in February.

Recalling the incident, she said: “It wasn’t that long ago, it was my fella before Gorka, we went on holiday.”

“We met in the Bahamas and while we were there I took a picture of a sunset because it was a really lovely sunset, and I put it on me . I thought nothing of it.”

“He put the same picture as his Whatsapp profile picture and a few days later I got this message on from this girl and she was like, ‘Woman to woman, can I ask you were you with (him) recently? ‘” “Because my boyfriend told me he was in Florida with the lads and the picture you put on he has put as his Whatsapp profile pic.”

The revelation led Gemma to confront the other woman, leading to the shocking discovery that they were both involved with the same man for an extended period. She pressed her then-boyfriend for answers, and he eventually admitted to the infidelity.

“Bless her, she stayed with him,” she admitted, making it clear she’d attempted to persuade the other woman to leave him. Although she didn’t spill the beans on his identity, Gemma’s last public romance before Gorka was with personal trainer Olly Foster, whom she dated for two years until their separation in 2016.

Gemma Atkinson has been linked with some high-profile figures in the past, including world-renowned footballer Cristiano Ronaldo back in 2007. Their surprisingly down-to-earth dates involved sipping tea and watching classic British sitcoms.

Speaking on Manchester’s Key 103 radio, Gemma shared: “We went to my house and drank cups of tea and watched Only Fools and Horses. Genuinely! ” She continued, “I don’t know if he’s into it now but he seemed to enjoy it.”

The actress also refused substantial offers to dish on their relationship post-split, stating firmly, “When we did split up I got offered so much money to speak about him and I didn’t want that.”

Her dalliance with Ronaldo purportedly occurred during a pause with then on-and-off beau Marcus Bent, whom she first dated in 2006 but parted ways due to his involvement with Danielle Lloyd and her connection with Ronaldo. Reigniting their spark in 2008, Marcus was seen moving into Gemma’s abode, and an engagement followed; however, by December 2008, the relationship had fizzled out and Gemma reportedly returned the engagement ring.

This wasn’t Gemma’s only brush with engagement—she had previously accepted a proposal from ‘Britain’s Got Talent’ finalist Liam Richards.

Gemma reportedly first encountered martial arts aficionado Liam in 2008 during a panto performance, sparking a two-year romance. At the time, Gemma gushed: “Liam is lovely and gets on really well with all my family. We have great fun.”

Despite their engagement, the couple eventually split amid rumours of growing apart.

Additionally, Gemma had a two-year dalliance with co-star Cleveland Campbell, who played Danny Daggert from 2001 to 2007. Their relationship spanned from 2003 to 2005.

In a twist of fate, Cleveland was embroiled in controversy, accused of assault at Gemma’s 21st birthday bash in 2005, but he was subsequently acquitted of GBH charges.