We speak to the actress and author, who lives in Manchester with her Strictly Come Dancing pro dancer fiancé Gorka Marquez and their two young children – Mia who is aged five, and Tiago, who is one.
What do you do the second you walk through your door?
I am massive on people taking their shoes off before they come into the house, so it’s shoes off, shoes away under the stairs and slippers on. That signifies that I’m in comfy mode.
Do you have a favourite homeware shop?
B&M or The Range in Bury. It’s three storeys and everything you could ever want is in there.
What's on your bedside table?
A CurrentBody red light mask. I have that on every night for 10 minutes. I have a chunk of rose quartz crystal, which is supposed to level out your energies and ward off anything nasty or negative. It sits on top of a deck of angel cards, and next to that is a bottle of lavender spray and Tiago’s baby monitor.
What is your home pet peeve?
Our underfloor heating. I’m a big fan of a radiator with a simple on and off. The underfloor heating drives me mad because it’s either boiling hot or freezing cold. It’s connected to the Wi-Fi and on an app on our phones, so it’s quite complicated. We’ve had a plumber out more times for underfloor heating than anything else.
What smell says home?
A Spanish incense called Palo Santo. It’s quite smoky and [was traditionally used] to ward off evil spirits.
Mia sometimes has nightmares and I'll go in a room the next day with it and say, ‘No, go away, whatever you are!’. Gorka thinks I'm crazy.
On a Sunday morning, I light incense around the whole house and it smells like a spa.
What chore do you love?
Vacuuming. We’ve got the standard Henry vacuum cleaner and it’s brilliant. There’s something satisfying about vacuuming, especially when you have kids, because there are crumbs, crayons and all kinds of things everywhere.
One of the best vacuum cleaners, the iconic Henry hoover is a reliable workhorse that will last for years.
…and what chore do you hate?
Washing dishes. There are just three of us for mealtimes [Tiago is only one], which doesn’t warrant using a dishwasher. I’m not a fan of doing them, but you have to every day.
Are you a good host?
Gorka’s a fantastic host. I’m probably not as good. The year before last, he made Christmas dinner for 15 and smashed it. I put a few crisps in a bowl, whereas he’ll do a platter of Spanish ham, olives and nice bread.
He enjoys hosting and says it’s in the Spanish culture. They sit down for every meal together – it’s like a celebration. We tend to have a Sunday dinner together, but everyone else in the household eats at separate times.
Do you try your hand at DIY?
I can put pictures up on the wall, but when it comes to actual DIY, as in building shelves, I always call my stepdad Peter. He was an engineer – he’s fantastic – whereas Gorka’s terrible. Anything Gorka builds himself, he doesn’t know this, but I always ask Peter to come and triple-check it. Nine out of ten times, Peter has to make adjustments for safety!
Quick fire questions with Gemma Atkinson
- Shoes on or off? Off.
- Eat at table or laps? The table – there’s less mess.
- Lighting – bright or moody? Bright.
- Quick shower or long bath? I love a long bath, but my reality is a shower.
- Colourful or neutral? I love colourful, cosy, floral; Gorka loves beige, bland, white. We have a mix.
- Neat or creative chaos? Creative chaos.
- Music, radio, TV or quiet? I always like a bit of background music.
Gemma’s latest children’s book, Let’s Get Ready, is out on 10 April (£7.99, Scholastic)
