Gorka Marquez says 'it's going to make it worse' as he addresses reunion with Gemma Atkinson

Gorka Marquez has opened up about being away from his family while taking part in Strictly Come Dancing. Last month, the dancer was flooded with support when he candidly shared the realiy of leaving his family behind for his role on the show.

Gorka, who is now the longest-serving male professional dancer on the BBC One dance show, is currently competing in the BBC One dance contest alongside Morning Live's Dr Punam Krishan.

But Dr Punam, who is a practising GP and broadcaster as the resident GP on BBC's Morning Live, is based in Glasgow meaning Gorka now spends his days away from his Greater Manchester home where he lives with his fiancee Gemma Atkinson and their two children - Mia and Thiago.

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And it was following the airing of the pre-recorded launch show on Saturday night (September 14), the 34-year-old shared the reality behind being away from his family for his dream career. Taking to Instagram, he shared a selfie in which tears could be seen filling his eyes and falling down his cheeks.

He spoke about people being "scared" to show their "vulnerable" side and decided to share him "having a moment that sometimes we hide or keep for ourselves, especially being a man".

The dad-of-two emotionally shared that while he should have been filled with "happiness, joy, excitement" for the Strictly season ahead, Gorka shared: "YES it is. But at the same time, I get a feeling of sadness, guilt, for going away for however long it is. A feeling of letting them down for not being there, a sense of failure to them..."

Now, weeks into Strictly's 20th anniversary series, and Gorka has been asked how he's getting on as he took part in a Q&A with his social media followers. 

One fan asked: "When will you get to see Gemma and the kids?? You must miss them a lot." In a video response, Gorka said to the camera: "I've been asked this a few times and the answer is, I don't 100% know when but I know it'll be soon because they're having half term and I know I'll see them that week.

"I'm seeing Gemma next weekend because she' travelling to London for work so I'll see her there. But I could go home, for example on a Sunday, but at the same time I have to travel to Glasgow and choreograph my next routine so it's quite a tight schedule and I think coming home for two, three hours is actually going to make it worse.

"It's going to mess up their routine and I think for Mia now, she's used to, 'he's away, I'll see him when he's finished'. Me going home it may have them think I'm going to stay home and then I'm going to go away. So it's just juggling all those emotions and feelings but I can't wait to see them!"

Later asked how he's coping being away from his children, Gorka admitted: "It's hard, very hard but at the same time, it's very rewarding when Mia gets to see the dances. Like last weekend, after our dance, I called her and she was doing the dance in the living room so I know that I'm making them very proud and they love to watch me on the telly.

"Mia goes, 'I miss Papa but I want to see him on Strictly!' So that's very ressuring that I know what I'm doing and I'm doing it for them. I keep saying, 'Do you want Papa to come home?' and she says, 'Yes, but I want you to be in the final!' It is hard, thank God we have FaceTime and we can call all the time but a lot of parents in the same situation."