EastEnders star on heartbreaking reason behind Christmas Strictly appearance
One of the most well-known stars of EastEnders has opened up about the heartbreaking reason he decided to star on the Strictly[1] Christmas special. Jamie Borthwick, who has played Jay Brown on the soap since 2006, said he has shunned celebrity appearances but after a tricky year, he has decided to embrace new challenges, Mirror Online reports[2]. "I decided I need to stop saying 'no'," says Jamie. "And lo and behold, Strictly rang!
I thought, 'What a perfect example to put that into practice.' "So I said 'yes'! And what's more festive than the Christmas[3] special?
I'm saying 'yes' to things much more now." "I've never really felt comfortable being myself in front of a camera or on a show," he continued. "I like to be an actor hiding behind a character. "I like to keep myself out of the way, but obviously that is a detriment to yourself and you don't get to experience great things, and meet people like Nancy or all the other great people on Strictly.
I thought, 'You've just got to throw yourself into things like this.'" One of the reasons Jamie wanted to try new experiences is because his father Simon was diagnosed with cancer this year. He said: "Things like that nudge you and you go, 'You've got one life, just live it.'
"There are going to be bad days, there are going to be plenty for all of us, so while things are good, just live it."
Strictly Come Dancing Christmas 2023 contestants.Top left to right - Dan Snow, Sally Nugent and Jamie Borthwick. Bottom left to right - Tillie Amartey, Danny Cipriani and Keisha Buchanan
(Image: BBC)He went on to say that he loved his Strictly experience. He said: "I'm on a bit of a downer now filming is over.
"We had such a good laugh and everyone at Strictly makes such a lovely team. It was a great experience to learn something new and Nancy's such a great teacher. I've gained a special friend so it was a win-win all round."
Now Nancy, 32, who partnered Les Dennis this year, wants Jamie to sign up for the full series. "He's amazing to work with and amazing to spend time with," she says. "Training with Jamie made me such a happy girl. It was like an early Christmas gift from Strictly.
It would be amazing if he could join the show."
References
- ^ Strictly (www.birminghammail.co.uk)
- ^ Mirror Online reports (www.mirror.co.uk)
- ^ Christmas (www.birminghammail.co.uk)
- ^ Ellie Leach and Vito Coppola say 'there is something' and announce plans for 2024 (www.birminghammail.co.uk)