Gemma Atkinson has opened up about her relationship with Strictly Come Dancing pro Gorka Marquez.
The Hollyoaks star, who plays Lisa Hunter, welcomed daughter Mia with him in 2019, just three days before he departed for a UK tour.
Speaking on Lorraine, the actress said: "He got grief for it, 'Who chooses work over their child?', but he had a contract and it wasn't just his show. It was production that he'd be letting down."
Related: Strictly Come Dancing's AJ Odudu shares sweet cast reunion photo
She continued: "He has to keep his social going for the show, get tickets sold, so I was looking at all the stuff online of him and Giovanni [Pernice] and Aljaž [Škorjanec] all together, and I was sat at home with my stitches, the nurse is coming around to change my dressing, Mia crying, and I was just like, oh my gosh, this is my life now and nothing's changed for him.
"And I remember speaking to my mum about it, and she was saying typically the guys go back to work, things change, there's a lot of people in different situations and some people are parenting on their own.
"She said it's just your situation to deal with."
Gemma, who met Gorka while taking part in the BBC show in 2017, added that the time apart was also difficult for the dancer.
Related: Strictly's Nicola Adams reveals the sex of her baby with girlfriend Ella Baig
"Gio [texted] me and said, 'Gorka's not himself, just letting you know'," she said.
"I FaceTimed him and they were out one night, all the lads, and he was in the hotel on his own. He just got really upset. He said, 'I don't want to be here, I want to be home with you and our baby'.
"And it just dawned on me that it's just as tough for the partner who goes back to work than it is for the partner who's at home.
"You kind of resent each other's situations a little bit."
Lorraine airs on ITV.
![Strictly Come Dancing - Motsi & Anton's Strictly The Best [DVD] [2021]](https://hips.hearstapps.com/vader-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/1636376452-51-wTB4ZAL._SL500_.jpg?crop=1xw:1xh;center,top&resize=320%3A%2A "Strictly Come Dancing - Motsi & Anton's Strictly The Best [DVD] [2021]")
![Strictly Come Dancing: Shirley and Craig's Perfect 10 [DVD]](https://hips.hearstapps.com/vader-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/1602857040-51TXVDJudnL.jpg?crop=1xw:1xh;center,top&resize=320%3A%2A "Strictly Come Dancing: Shirley and Craig's Perfect 10 [DVD]")
![Strictly Come Dancing – Strictly Fit: Dance Fit [DVD]](https://hips.hearstapps.com/vader-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/1619471388-511DbekkqyL._SL500_.jpg?crop=1xw:1xh;center,top&resize=320%3A%2A "Strictly Come Dancing – Strictly Fit: Dance Fit [DVD]")
![Strictly Come Dancing: Anton's Truly Madly Strictly [DVD] [2019]](https://hips.hearstapps.com/vader-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/1575064108-511rx3JiYnL.jpg?crop=1xw:1xh;center,top&resize=320%3A%2A "Strictly Come Dancing: Anton's Truly Madly Strictly [DVD] [2019]")
![Strictly Come Dancing - Bruno's Bellissimo Blackpool [DVD] [2018]](https://hips.hearstapps.com/vader-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/1560931698-51WFsIDipgL.jpg?crop=1xw:1xh;center,top&resize=320%3A%2A "Strictly Come Dancing - Bruno's Bellissimo Blackpool [DVD] [2018]")
