Strictly Come Dancing star Katie Piper on why Gorka is her dream partner! 'I didn’t want anyone to steal him!'

Katie Piper reveals why she could only dance with Spanish sensation Gorka Marquez

Katie Piper has revealed that she had a very clear preference when it came to her Strictly Come Dancing professional partner. Talking to TV Times at one of her training sessions, she told us it had to be Gorka "the Corker!" Marquez.

"Gorka was really kind to me when we originally learned the group dance. All the pros are good but some of them show you things really fast," says Katie. "Gorka’s an amazing dancer but he also slows things down for me, and that’s what attracted me to him as a teacher."

She even admitted she was nervous about the live launch show, in case she couldn't hide her disappointment if she were paired with one of the other pros, and says she tried to matchmake her celebrity rivals with anyone but Gorka!

"Before we got paired up I didn’t want anyone to steal him. I had to mark my territory with the other girls my height, I told Stacey [Dooley] I liked him and that she looked really good with Kevin [Clifton] instead! I was worried about looking really annoyed on camera if we didn’t get partnered together…"

Katie Piper enjoying a training session with Gorka — **Katie Piper: "If I overthink the routine, that's when I do my worst dancing"**

Luckily it was alright on the night and Katie got her dream partner. Now that Strictly's underway she and Gorka are working hard to nail those routines, and perseverance is key.

"Gorka’s best quality is that he’s really patient, he’ll spend the whole day with me repeating things over and over, and then I come in the next day and I’ve forgotten everything. I bet he’s got a voodoo doll of me at home!"

Strictly Come Dancing Katie Piper training pictures: Richard Kendal / TV Times