JAMIE Borthwick confirms his future on EastEnders ahead of his appearance on the new series of Strictly Come Dancing.
The actor will follow in the footsteps of many EastEnders stars as he joins the cast of the BBC dance competition series.
Jamie’s stint on Strictly Come Dancing kicks off later this week.
He’ll join Chris McCausland, JB Gill, Wynne Evans, Toyah Willcox, Dr Punam Krishan, Tasha Ghouri, Pete Wicks, Shayne Ward, Sarah Hadland, Tom Dean MBE, Montell Douglas aka Fire, Nick Knowles, Paul Merson and Sam Quek MBE on this year’s series which begins on Saturday 14th September.
Jamie is best known for playing Jay Brown on EastEnders since 2006.
Jay has faced a difficult 12 months on the soap as he’s dealt with the death of his wife Lola (Danielle Harold), his best-friend Ben (Max Bowden) going to prison, drug abuse, and being conned by escort Nadine (Jazzy Phoenix).
Now Jamie will be taking time out of his busy schedule to film the reality show — but he has confirmed he won’t be quitting the soap all together.
Speaking to press at the Strictly Launch, Jamie revealed: “I’m not taking a break. I’m still there, so I’m doing both shows.
“But we’re lucky [that] EastEnders [is] literally just over the road. I [don’t have] far to go,” he added.
However, Jamie has had to make one big sacrifice to be able to do both shows at the same time.
He revealed he’s had to give up all socialising with friends and family for the duration of rehearsing and filming for Strictly.
“I’m still there, powering through, I’ve just kind of budgeted for the next however long I’m going to be really busy, and I’ve just had to let all the social events go, gutted that I can’t go out every week,” he explained.
BBC fans can rest easy as Jamie confirms he will not be leaving EastEnders. And following his stint on Strictly, it’s going to be a busy time for Jamie who’ll be gearing up for the BBC soap’s 40th anniversary celebrations in February along with the rest of the cast.
But thankfully, Jamie has an idea of what he’s in for as this won’t be his first Strictly experience. He won the Christmas special last year alongside pro partner Nancy Xu.
Explaining how that came about, he said: “I originally got asked to the show in 2018, I think, but it never happened. And then I got asked to do the Christmas show, which I loved.”
It ended up being a great experience for Jamie and is what pushed him to compete in the 2024 series.
By Catriona Mactaggart
I for one am glad Jamie is sticking around Albert Square, even if he’ll have fewer appearances than unusual in EastEnders over the coming weeks to accommodate his Strictly Come Dancing.
Starring on the dance competition show may provide the perfect excuse for Jay’s exit, but after 18 years, he’s a Walford institution.
Jay has been at the centre of so much drama during his time on the soap, and his relationship with Linzi Bragg was actually one of the show’s biggest storylines.
More recently, he has been defined by his relationship with Lola (Danielle Harold), his grief after her death and then being taken advantage of by Nadine (Jazzy Phoenix).
BBC bosses had the chance to write him out in 2023 following his ketamine-induced car crash, but happily Jay survived the ordeal.
Now, with Lola gone and Lexi’s dad Ben Mitchell (Max Bowden) in prison, Jay is stepping up to take care of Lola’s daughter as he co-parents Lexi with Ben’s husband Callum Highway (Tony Clay).
EastEnders fans have watched Jay grow from age 12 and go through many stages of life.
This is a new era for the character as he moves forward as a widower and step-parent.
It feels like there’s still a lot more to come for Jamie’s character even as he closes in on 20 years on EastEnders.
“It was that that led me to do the main show. For me. It was just like, it’s the people, like, when I do a job, it’s not, it’s not what I’m doing. It’s the people I’m working on. It’s really important.”
Speaking on the upcoming series, he added: “This is a fresh challenge and it will be so different to be learning a new dance every week and for the public to have their say,” he said, having competed in the festival special just last year.
“I’m hoping to be Salsa-ing around Albert Square in no time and I’ll be asking my Walford Strictly alumni for some words of wisdom. See you on the dancefloor.”
