BBC Strictly's Gorka Marquez 'devastated' by early exit as fans fear he'll quit show

Strictly: Dr Punam Krishan and Gorka Márquez are sent home

Strictly Come Dancing’s week six saw the celebrity competitors and their professional partners take to the stage for a special Halloween-themed performance.

This included Dr Punam Krishnan and Gorka Marquez who danced a spooky Tango to Sweet Dreams by Eurythmics while dressed as pirates.

However, the TV doctor’s skill failed to impress the judges as the duo received 26 points and were in joint bottom place with comedian Chris McCausland and Dianne Buswell.

Despite their dance-off on Sunday’s result show, Punam and Gorka were voted off the competition.

This seemed to devastate the choreographer more than the Morning Live star as body language expert Inbaal Honigman revealed Gorka was “disappointed.”

Gorka and Dr Punam were in joint bottom place (Image: BBC)

The expert shared: “When the results are just announced, Gorka looks crestfallen. He lowers his eyes, and his face drops - he's very disappointed and can’t hide how he’s really feeling.

“Punam, on the other hand, takes the news very well. Her face lights up, she smiles fully, and even the corners of her eyes are pulled up.

“It’s clear her mind has focused on the positive experience she's had with Gorka, rather than dwelling on the fact it's ending,” Inbaal added on behalf of Betfair Casino.

“When chatting to Tess, Punam shakes her head lightly throughout the interview. This gesture reveals her disbelief that she's even on the show in the first place.

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Dr Punam and Gorka became the fifth couple to be eliminated from Strictly (Image: BBC)

Inbaal continued: “Turning her head to look at Gorka when he speaks, her face is beaming. “She adores him, and even though he still looks low, we can see his face brightening, his eyebrows rising, and his mood lifting when Punam's infectious joy gets to him.”

Many fans quickly shared their concern as they speculated this series could be the end for Gorka as he also had an early exit in 2023 when he and BBC Radio star Nikita Kanda became the second couple to leave.

At the time, it was reported that the Spanish native had wrestled with his decision to join the 2023 series due to missing family time during the previous season.

Just days before the live shows, the dancer took to Instagram with a selfie of him crying after leaving his partner Gemma Atkinson and two children in Scotland to relocate for rehearsals.