Originally from Manchester, Atkinson took her GCSEs at Castlebrook High School. Afterwards, she became a commercial and photographic model.
Acting
Gemma rose to fame playing Lisa Hunter on the teenage soap opera Hollyoaks. She and Marcus Patric (Ben Davies in Hollyoaks) subsequently appeared in a spin-off series called Hollyoaks: Let Loose, in which their characters start a new life living together in Chester. This has been followed up with Hollyoaks: In the City, in which their characters return home and set up again in Liverpool.
Atkinson also played Goldie Lookin Chain's love interest in their video R'n'B. She also features on the cover of the single.
She appeared on Celebrity Weakest Link with Marcus Patric in December 2006, and has recently been seen as a contestant on ITV1's "Soapstar Superstar", reaching the last four stage.
Glamour modelling
In early 2006, Atkinson underwent breast enlargement surgery, which took her chest to a 34D. She said in an interview that she lost weight due to a fitness regime but her bust slowly declined. She had the surgery to give them the original shape they once were. She is also a dress size 10 (UK)[citation needed] which means her waist is in the region of 27 inches.
Since launching her parallel career as a glamour model, Atkinson has appeared in provocative photoshoots in lingerie and swimwear, including non-nude topless shots, for men's magazines such as Arena, FHM, Loaded, Maxim, Zoo Weekly and Nuts. In October 2006 she appeared in three of the aforementioned magazines in one month, becoming one of the most prolific celebrity glamour models in the UK. In November 2006, it was announced by Zoo Weekly that Atkinson had agreed to become their regular "sex and relationships columnist". She recently worked with fellow adult actors Jon Horton & Joseph Chare.
Personal life
Gemma has dated former Emmerdale actor, Cleveland Campbell.
She used to live with footballer Marcus Bent of Charlton
More recently, she has been linked to Cristiano Ronaldo, however in a brief interview with This Morning regarding her role in Soapstar Superstar she claimed there was no truth in the rumours. She claims she is dating Cristiano Ronaldo, but in a football magazine 'FourFourTwo' he denied the claims. According to press reports she was also linked to "Soapstar Superstar" contestant Mark Furze,
