As Gemma Atkinson pens a moving open letter to her late dad on her 24th Father’s Day without him, the TV and radio star reveals the heartwrenching question her little girl asks about dad Gorka
Gemma Atkinson was only 17 years old when she lost her much-loved dad David, who died of a heart attack at just 52. Marking her 24th Father’s Day without him, Gemma, in support of the palliative care and bereavement charity Sue Ryder, pens an emotional open letter in which she remembers the special person he was.
The star, who met her fiancé, Strictly professional dancer Gorka Marquez when she was a contestant on the show in 2017, opens up about how she and and their children, Mia and Thiago, keep his memory alive. -and reveals that her daughter Mia, 4, worries when her dancer dad is working away, and asks her famous mum when he’s coming home, adding devastatingly that hers, one day, never did.
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“It’s funny how kids pick up on things. When Gorka’s away, working on Strictly, Mia asks me when Papa’s coming home. I tell her he’ll be back but twice now she’s said to me, “But your papa didn’t come home”, says Gemma. “I explain that her daddy is much fitter. That we have FaceTime and mobiles now. I let her know she can get hold of her papa anytime she wants. We often visit your grave but we always keep it positive. I don’t want to give her a fear of death. You wouldn’t want that. “
The star also reveals that she thinks her late dad would be ‘proud’ of the mother she’s become, but adds sadly: “I sobbed when I found out I was expecting Mia. Not because I wasn’t ecstatic – I was, but because you weren’t there to share our joy.”
She also says she keeps her dad’s spirit alive with her children by talking about him regularly. “I talk to Thiago and Mia about you all the time. They call you GanGan David. We’ve got a picture of you in the house and Mia thinks GanGan David lives on the moon and you can’t get out.
“She always asks us how we can rescue you. When our dogs died it was devastating, but Mia took comfort in the fact you were looking after them somewhere. I really believe you are.”
“You’d adore Thiago too. He looks exactly like you did as a baby. That’s the first thing everyone said when he was born. People joke that Gorka has no genetics in our children whatsoever. It’s because both of them are so like me and you.
Gemma also confesses emotionally that she’d wish Gorka could have met him. “There have been many times where he would have benefitted from your advice. You travelled so much for work and Gorka needs to be away a lot too. I remember when Mia was born, he had to leave for a tour when she was three days old.
“It broke his heart but I know you’d have helped him. I can hear your voice, saying, “I get it pal, I had to do the same. You’ll get through it.” I often feel sad that he never got to shake your hand. You only ever met my high school boyfriend. That’s hard for me.”
Palliative care and bereavement charity Sue Ryder offers a range of grief support. Visit sueryder.org/GriefDeservesBetter. Gemma Atkinson is the host of the Hits Drivetime show, airing weekdays at 4pm
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