Strictly Come Dancing star who shone light on Blackpool for wrong reasons quits BBC show

The announcement that Gorka Marquez is to quit Strictly this week came a decade after the professional dancer put Blackpool under the spotlight, for the worst reasons.

Marquez is the fifth dancer to leave the show before the new series which starts later this year. However, ten years ago he was a new face on Strictly Come Dancing when the show arrived in Blackpool to film its traditional dance-off in the resort.

In 2016, after the show wrapped on the Saturday, Marquez set off for a night on the town with fellow dancers Neil Jones and Aljaz Skorjanec. And, after being separated from his pals, an incident occurred which made headlines around the world.

He told The Sun newspaper he had suffered two broken teeth in an unprovoked attack when he was 'ambushed' by youths as he made his way the the Flamingo nightclub in Queen Street after performing at the Tower Ballroom.

One friend said Marquez, then 26, was punched in the face after a 'group of local louts came out of nowhere'. They said the assault was 'entirely random and shocking'.

A Strictly Come Dancing spokesperson said: "Gorka was sadly the victim of an unprovoked incident in Blackpool but will be back in training this week and is looking forward to the group routine next weekend."

But investigations by the Gazette revealed that no such attack had been reported to the police immediately following the incident. And a subsequent police probe was dropped within a month.

A spokesperson for Lancashire Police said a 'proportionate investigation' had been carried out and 'no arrests' had been made. A review of CCTV footage from the area failed to show any attack. The police said: "We have checked CCTV and spoken to the club but we have had no formal complaint from Mr Marquez.

A week after the attack, the BBC had changed the story claiming Marquez had been assaulted while getting out of a car, with the broadcaster saying that the star, who was sent flowers by tourism chiefs in Blackpool, didn't want to make a formal complaint and 'just wants to move on'.

The attack caused a storm in Blackpool with residents saying the dancer's claims showed the resort in a bad light. Some said his claims 'local louts' were involved had tarnished Blackpool's reputation.

Speaking about his ordeal for the last time, Marquez tweeted: "Thanks for all your kind messages and support about Blackpool. It was a bad experience but I'm feeling better."

What people had to say at the time...

Coun Simon Blackburn, then Leader of Blackpool Council, said: “Blackpool always receives fantastic coverage and publicity when Strictly comes to town so we were all disappointed when the national media ran a story with a whole host of allegations that haven’t now been backed up.

“I realise that people are interested to know what happened that night but I don’t think that is ever going to happen. Hopefully the fact that it wasn’t reported to the police and that there is no investigation shows that it wasn’t a serious incident.”

Coun Tony Williams, then Tory leader on Blackpool Council said: “Clearly there seems to be more to the story. The fact that everyone is being tight-lipped about the incident might seem to indicate that it may have been a ‘domestic’ issue.

“Blackpool has a lot less violent incidents than most inland towns but because of the resort’s fame, and in this particular case where the victim is a known personality, we continue to get bad national press probably from reporters who have never visited the town.

“Before checking all the facts the mainstream press would rather continue their mantra of doom and gloom about our town – a so called ‘shocking headline’ is cheap reporting so why spoil a nice nasty piece with the truth? Thank goodness The Gazette was more considered in its coverage and supportive of our town to help redress the balance.”

Hotelier Mick Grewcock said: “It didn’t do us any justice. It was a wonderful night and for it to end like that is a real shame. A wonderful bit of free advertising and then that happens. We don’t know whether it’s true or not - if so, why wasn’t it reported to the police?

“We do get unfairly slated at times. We get stereotyped when it’s really not like that at all. Bispham is lovely and quiet and there’s no trouble here. You walk down the street and you don’t see one boarded-up house or broken window. With the Tower and the piers, we have got more to offer here than anywhere in the country.”

Claire Smith, hotel owner and then head of Stay Blackpool, said: “What happened was a very unfortunate incident, but at the same time very unusual because the investigation has been dropped and it was never reported to the police.

“I think the attack will be forgotten in time, whereas the images of the fabulous ballroom and everybody dancing will be retained. I would hope that people will focus on what it’s really all about, and that’s the dancing. What we must remember is these incidents are in the minority.”

Stephen Pierre, owner of the Galleon Bar and Jazz and Blues Festival organiser, said: “Strictly Come Dancing is one of the biggest shows on television, with that comes a lot of good publicity for Blackpool when filmed at The Tower Ballroom.

Equally the publicity the TV show generates places Blackpool in a vulnerable position, especially by the negativity shown from some of the national press.

“Do I believe that Gorka Marquez was physically attacked in Blackpool? It’s questionable and the police investigation has raised all kinds of speculation. I do believe ‘something’ may have happened to him or his entourage, but I very much doubt it was as serious and as transparent as the national media initially published.

“With no CCTV evidence or record of a police call out, ambulance log or local hospital admission I believe this alleged incident could have taken place in some backstreet premises or dark alleyway. Was it an embarrassing private matter that was leaked to the press? I don’t believe it happened within close proximity of a busy nightclub with CCTV and in the vision of licensed door staff.

“Whatever happened or did not happen has without any doubt had a damaging effect on Blackpool and its reputation. This kind of negative reporting would put off any of those decent viewers wanting to come to Blackpool.

“Not only does the bad publicity affect tourism, it has a massive knock on effect to residents and business owners. Every time Blackpool receives a slating in the national press this will undoubtedly slow down the interest of business investment and affect commercial and residential property prices.

“The silence shown from those involved in this debacle in my opinion actually speaks volumes. Because of the ambiguity, Blackpool deserves some form of acknowledgement or apology about how the alleged incident was reported. Some folks say there is no such thing as bad publicity, I would argue with publicity that a bad name spreads faster than a good one.”

Blackpool South MP Gordon Marsden said: “Given the confusion as to what actually happened, it would really be helpful for Blackpool if there were a factual, straight forward statement on the events that took place from the people concerned.”