Strictly: Gorka Márquez discusses judging in Spain
Strictly Come Dancing professional Gorka Marquez has shared insights into his judging role on the Spanish version of the hit dance show, Bailando Con Las Estrellas.
His fellow dancer Kai Widdrington spilled the beans during an episode of It Takes Two, hosted by Fleur East. Kai revealed: "Earlier this year, Spain relaunched Bailando Con Las Estrellas, which translates to Dancing with the Stars. It is hosted by Argentinian model Valeria Mazza and one of Spain's well-known presenters, Jesus Vazquez.
"There are not three, not four, but five judges, including Blanca Li, journalist and writer Boris Izaguire, director of musicals Julia Gomez Cora, Antonia Dell'ate, and the fifth judge, I think you may recognise - it's our very own Gorka Marquez."
Gorka then opened up about his experience on the show, saying: "I absolutely love it, I learned a lot that I can take with me as a professional now and to help the celebrities. I know what the judges want to see," before highlighting the differences between the UK and Spanish versions.
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He added: "It's much longer. It's on from 10pm to two in the morning. Then, when it comes to the couples, we don't know which order we'll dance in, so on the table there's an envelope, and she opens it and says, 'Next one will be.' Then, you have the time of the VT to get ready to dance. Then the other thing is the way they score.
"We give you the scores there, and you have the panels, and on one side is seven, and the other side is six, so sometimes it goes wrong. It's actually good when things like that happen because it makes it feel like it's live and real."
Gorka reminisced about a particular episode where he scored a celebrity with a two out of 10, leading her to storm off the set and refuse to be filmed, although she did make a comeback for the second week.
Speaking fondly of his experience, Gorka expressed, "It was so special to go back to my home country and be part of a show that has given me so much here in this country. Without Strictly, I wouldn't be who I am, and I wouldn't have my family."
Viewers were taken aback upon discovering Gorka's judging stint in Spain, with one fan commenting on social media: "Gorka's a judge in Spain? Why did I not know that? #ItTakesTwo."
*Strictly Come Dancing airs weekdays on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer.
