Gorka Marquez will not appear in Strictly Come Dancing 2026, having stepped down as a professional dancer after eight series between 2016 and 2025. The 36-year-old Spaniard now focuses on his judging role on the Spanish version of Dancing with the Stars, alongside theatre tours and family life with fiancée Gemma Atkinson.
Strictly Exit and New Judging Role
Marquez announced his departure from Strictly in April via an Instagram statement, citing scheduling conflicts between the UK show and Bailando con las estrellas, which he joined as a judge in January 2024. He wrote: "After last year's decision to step down as a full-time professional due to scheduling conflicts between Strictly and Dancing with the Stars Spain, I've decided that now is the time to hang up my dance shoes and say goodbye to Strictly Come Dancing."
He added: "I will always be incredibly grateful to Strictly and the BBC for everything. Being part of the show has been so much more than just a professional opportunity - over the past 10 years, it allowed me to build a career from my passion, find love, start a family, and make lifelong friends. For that, I will forever be thankful."
Theatre Tours and Festive Show
Marquez remains active on the dance floor, headlining the Here Come The Boys theatre tour alongside former Strictly co-stars Aljaž Škorjanec, Carlos Gu, and Julian Caillon. The dancers will perform across 24 UK towns and cities next year, with tickets on sale now.
Earlier this year, he embarked on the Strictly: The Professionals 2026 tour with colleagues including Vito Coppola, Neil Jones, Luba Mushtuk, and Nancy Xu. A 2027 tour is in the works, though Marquez's involvement is yet to be confirmed.
He also runs his own festive production, Xmas on the Dance Floor, described on its website as "a brand-new festive dance spectacular starring Strictly Come Dancing favourite Gorka Márquez." The show features dates in December across Blackpool, Bradford, Gateshead, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Brighton, Manchester, Bath, Guildford, Cambridge, Stoke-on-Trent, Birmingham, and Eastbourne.
Podcast and Family Life
Marquez continues to co-host the Lost In Translation podcast with Atkinson, releasing a new show weekly. The podcast's synopsis describes it as lifting "the lid on life behind the scenes of their perfectly imperfect relationship."
A key driver for his Strictly exit was a desire to be at home in Greater Manchester more often to watch his two young children, Mia and Thiago, grow up. On a recent podcast, Marquez described the family dynamic as "perfect," while Atkinson said: "Well, no, I don't want to be pregnant again, but if someone gave us a baby… I'd rather have another dog." Marquez replied: "I never know with you, because one month you want another kid and [then] you want me to have the snip, so I don't know which one."
