Gemma Atkinson has told how her Strictly boyfriend Gorka Marquez flew back from Spain just to spend a few hours with her.

The former Emmerdale actress posted a message on Instagram saying the dancer jetted to the UK as a surprise, so they could have 17 hours together.

Atkinson penned a gushing message about Marquez on Instagram, telling her 620,000 followers that she “can’t live without” the Strictly Come Dancing professional.

She said: “Cheesy post alert!!!!! A week today and I’m reunited with @gorka_marquez.

“It’ll be 19 days we’ve had apart in total which is nothing looking at the bigger picture, but since we met last Aug we’ve never had more than 5 days apart so for us it’s a big deal.

“I’ve always been good on my own but I’m Great when he’s around so I’m counting down the days like I did as a kid at Christmas.

“I feel so lucky to have someone who I miss when we’re apart and someone who makes me feel so excited about seeing them again.

“They always say the right one isn’t the one you can live with, it’s the one you can’t live without.”

She later followed it up with another snap of the smitten couple, revealing: “He flew to Manchester from Madrid for just 17hrs to surprise me!”

Atkinson and Marquez confirmed their romance on Valentine’s Day, following months of speculation.