Gorka Marquez breaks silence on BBC Strictly announcement as he makes series ‘request’

BBC Strictly Come Dancing star Gorka Marquez has spoken up for the first time with a request since being confirmed to appear on the next series of the show.

The 34-year-old Spanish dancer was partnered with TV doctor Punam Krishan last year and has been a stalwart of the popular competition’s main cast since 2016.

On Friday, the show unveiled which professional dancers would be taking part once again in the Autumn show – with Marquez confirmed once again.

After the announcement, he took to Instagram to share his excitement and make a cheeky request of the show runners.

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The 34-year-old wrote happily: “STRICTLY 2025. Excited to be back for my 10th Series!”

“Let the countdown begin,” he teased.

Concluding his post, Marquez added: “Ps: @bbcstrictly get those PVC trousers ordered in every colour.”

The request was a reference to his Week Two Foxtrot with Krishan, where he wore the skin-tight leg wear with a mesh shirt.

While appearing on It Takes Two, host Janette Manrara translated his verdict from Spanish that the trousers were: “Tighter than the nails of a submarine.”

“I had talc, and then between your legs the chaffing. A lot of that, I was a bit like the guy in Friends,” he despaired.

Krishan noted her own frustrations with the challenging wardrobe choice: “We were just about to go on for the announcement of the couples and he’s like ‘What do I put on, do I put on powder, do I put on cream, do I put on sudo cream?’

“I was like not now Gorka, not now, just dance!”

Alongside the post, Marquez shared a pair of images – one showing his dressed to the nines with a top hat and tails.

The other was a backstage shot of the Spanish dancer wearing the infamous PVC trousers.

Fellow Strictly stars celebrated Marquez’s return in the comments of his post.

Karen Hauer wrote: “Vamonos!”

“Let’s goooo Gorks,” Lauren Oakley, shared.

Amy Dowden declared: “Let’s do this g x”

Michelle Tsiakkas, Nadiya Bychkova, Nancy Xu and others also responded with a variety of joyous emojis.

Former partner Krishan wrote: “Haha you and your trousers.”

“I know lol,” the Spainard acknowledged.

The announcement will also be a welcome one for fans after Marquez announced he was skipping this year’s Strictly Live tour due to family constraints.

“Strictly is quite intense and I have to balance work with time with Gemma (Atkinson) and the children. They are five and one, and this time will never come back,” he told Radio Times.

Elsewhere, fellow longtime Strictly pro Neil Jones spoke up after he was also confirmed to appear on the next series.

“I can’t believe it’s going to be a decade that I have been a pro on @bbcstrictly so to everyone that supports me and the show, thank you and I can’t wait to continue entertaining the nation,” he wrote on Instagram.