The pair met on Strictly and have been engaged for six years (Image: Getty)

Gemma Atkinson has candidly revealed why she hasn’t yet tied the knot with her Spanish fiancé, Strictly Come Dancing professional Gorka Marquez, father to their two children, Mia and Thiago. In a heartfelt open letter penned earlier this year for Father’s Day, she addressed her late father David, who tragically passed away from a heart attack at 52 when Gemma was just 17.

As she commemorated her 24th Father’s Day without him, a man she remembers ‘every day’, Gemma confesses that the thought of marrying without him present is almost unbearable – his painful absence being one of the reasons she hasn’t married yet. She confessed: “I’m getting married, Dad! One day, anyway. I think one of the reasons we’ve not done it yet is because of you.

Gemma’s dad sadly passed away when she was a teenager (Image: SUPPLIED)

“We’ve come close many times, but something stops me. I’m now the last Atkinson in the family line and if I give up my name, there’s no more of us. I don’t want to lose that remaining tie to you. Not having you walk me down the aisle… maybe I’ll just stay engaged for a bit longer.”

Speaking about her future husband, Gemma poignantly expressed that she believes her late father would have been a huge fan of him and their two lovely children – children who, she sadly reflects, he will never get to meet, reports Devon Live.

“I think you’d be really happy with my choice of fiancé,” Gemma continued.

“You’d get such a kick out of Gorka being a professional dancer – you loved to dance – and I know you’d adore your grandchildren. Just like you adored me.”

She continued: “I wish you’d got to meet him. There have been many times where he would have benefitted from your advice.

“You travelled so much for work and Gorka needs to be away a lot too. “Not having you walk me down the aisle… maybe I’ll just stay engaged for a bit longer. Speaking about her future husband, Gemma poignantly expressed that she believes her late father would have been a huge fan of him and their two lovely children – children who, she sadly reflects, he will never get to meet.

“I remember when Mia was born, he had to leave for a tour when she was three days old.

Gorka and Gemma share two children together (Image: Instagram)

“It broke his heart but I know you’d have helped him. I can hear your voice, saying, ‘I get it pal, I had to do the same. You’ll get through it.’ I often feel sad that he never got to shake your hand. You only ever met my high school boyfriend. That’s hard for me.”

The former Strictly star and radio presenter confesses she makes certain her father’s memory stays very much alive within her small family. She revealed: “I talk to Thiago and Mia about you all the time. They call you GanGan David.

“We’ve got a picture of you in the house and Mia thinks GanGan David lives on the moon and you can’t get out. She always asks us how we can rescue you. When our dogs died it was devastating, but Mia took comfort in the fact you were looking after them somewhere. I really believe you are.”

Back in January, Gorka provided an update on their wedding plans, assuring fans that he and Gemma will tie the knot once little Thiago becomes more independent. He clarified: “We will do it, it’s just not at the moment. We are very good like this, especially with having the kids.

“Thiago is not independent yet so we don’t want to go into the wedding and be carrying him or halfway through the wedding he starts screaming that he only wants mummy, you know?!”

This follows as Gemma shared that her and Gorka’s six-year-old daughter, Mia, has been diagnosed with epilepsy following absence seizures. Gemma shared on her Just As Well, The Women’s Health podcast, that their eldest child was experiencing episodes of lost awareness and spacing out.

Consequently, she is now undergoing epilepsy treatment. Epilepsy is a neurological condition that triggers seizures and, whilst incurable, treatment options are available to help patients manage symptoms and the condition itself. Absence seizures represent one form of seizure where individuals lose consciousness of their surroundings.

She told her listeners: “My daughter is under treatment for epilepsy. She has the absence seizures, she doesn’t fit or anything, it’s just a stare out and they’ve got so much better a year in.”

The devoted mother confessed to falling into a research “rabbit hole” following her daughter’s diagnosis. She continued: “When I was told that I was like, ‘Right, I need to research, research, research,’ and I went down a rabbit hole.”

Medical professionals suggested implementing a ketogenic diet for Mia to help manage her condition. The former Hollyoaks star revealed: “The keto diet was designed for patients with epilepsy because it re-wires their brain function. The doctor told me, ‘If you can get her on a keto diet, it could help with brain function’.

“The improvement that we’ve had, I mean, we’re constantly monitoring, but the last six months she’s had none, touch wood.”