Strictly Come Dancing’s Gorka Marquez ‘will get a celebrity partner this year’

Gorka Marquez will get a celebrity partner on Strictly Come Dancing this year, it’s been reported.

The Strictly pro was on the bench for last year’s show, only appearing in the professional group routines.

However he’s now set to return to the competition with a celebrity partner for 2020, The Sun newspaper claims.

“Gorka made no secret of his annoyance about being dropped,” a source told the tabloid, “He knows he’s popular with viewers and had his nose put out of joint.”

“Gorka has since been told he’ll be coming back into the fold and he’s elated.

“Bosses knew he was upset by their decision and the public made their feelings clear.”

The publication says that Gorka will take Kevin Clifton’s place in the pro line up after Kevin revealed this month that he was stepping down from Strictly after seven years.

He said: “Since first being called ‘Kevin From Grimsby’ by Sir Bruce Forsyth in 2013 I have experienced the highs of 5 finals, winning a Guinness World record on It Takes Two, the Strictly Arena tour glitterball and then the ultimate of winning the 2018 series with Stacey Dooley.

“After finishing last series with the Children In Need trophy and the Christmas Special I want to leave on a high and have therefore decided the time has come to move on and focus on other areas of my life and career.”

Alongside Gorka, confirmed Strictly 2020 professionals include Amy Dowden, AJ Pritchard, Aljaž Škorjanec, Anton Du Beke, Dianne Buswell, Giovanni Pernice, Gorka Marquez, Graziano Di Prima and Janette Manrara.

They’ll be joined by Johannes Radebe, Karen Hauer, Katya Jones, Luba Mushtuk, Nadiya Bychkova, Nancy Xu, Neil Jones and Oti Mabuse.

Strictly Come Dancing will be waltzing back onto BBC One for its new season this autumn as the NTA and Bafta award-winning entertainment show made by BBC Studios returns with more sparkle, glitz and glamour than ever before.

Strictly Come Dancing will return in the autumn, typically launching in September.

The celebrity line up will be confirmed later in the year.