EXCLUSIVE: Heartbreaking reason behind EastEnders actor Jamie Borthwick’s Christmas Strictly appearance

He’s been a household name since he was 12 years old thanks to his role as Jay Brown in EastEnders, but until now, Jamie Borthwick has always been too shy to appear on TV as himself.

However, all that changed when Strictly Come Dancing came calling and asked him to waltz into this year’s Christmas special with Nancy Xu as his dance partner. In the past, Jamie, 29, has shunned celebrity appearances but after a tricky year, he’s decided to embrace new challenges.

“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 special? I’m saying ‘yes’ to things much more now.”

Jamie loves working on EastEnders and for the past 17 years has been happily playing Jay and getting into all sorts of scrapes in Walford. This year, he was given one of his most difficult storylines when Jay’s wife Lola Pearce (Danielle Harold) died of a brain tumour, leaving him to raise her daughter Lexi. Despite its challenges, Jamie feels most at home when he’s acting.

“I’ve never really felt comfortable being myself in front of a camera or on a show,” he confides. “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 leap into new experiences is because his father Simon was diagnosed with cancer this year. Jamie is exceptionally grateful that his dad has made a full recovery and the experience has left him looking to embrace as many adventures as possible.

“Sadly, my dad has not been well this year with cancer,” says Jamie. “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.”

Not only did Jamie’s dad make a full recovery, he’s also celebrating becoming a grandfather for the first time after Jamie’s sister gave birth to a beautiful baby girl. For Jamie, becoming an uncle has been magical.

“It’s all worked out fine but it could easily not have been,” he says. “Things could have swung the other way but thank God, it’s all worked out. We celebrate a new baby in the family and everything has come up roses in the end. It’s all good at the moment and when things are good, you’ve just got to enjoy them.”

So it will be a special Christmas in the Borthwick household this year, all centred around the newest family member. “It’s my first Christmas with my new baby niece and my parents’ first Christmas as grandparents,” says Jamie. “The baby’s only three months old so she hasn’t a clue what’s going on but we’ll still enjoy it. I love being an uncle because when they cry you just give them back!”

Saying “yes” to Strictly was the right move for Jamie and he’s loved every minute of the Christmas Day special. “I’ve absolutely loved it,” he says. “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.”

Many of Jamie’s EastEnders castmates have done well on Strictly. This year, Bobby Brazier made it to the final, with former star Nigel Harman also riding high until a rib injury forced him to retire in week 11. Maisie Smith, Emma Barton, Jake Wood, Jessie Wallace and Kellie Bright have all sparkled on the dance floor in previous series.

“Where do I sign?” laughs Jamie. “Nancy’s great and the whole team is great. The show is magic.” Even being transformed by Strictly’s famously glitzy costume department has made Jamie smile. “It’s great to be Strictlyfied,” he says. “If you’re in for a penny you’re in for a pound, so bring it on! Honestly, it was brilliant. I loved it.”

Jamie will feature in the Strictly Come Dancing Christmas special this year ( 

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In between training for Strictly and filming EastEnders, Jamie has been watching his old co-star and pal Danielle Harold on I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here. “Me and Danielle remain close friends,” says Jamie. “She surprised me with how brave she was doing the trials. The Danielle I know would faint at the sight of a daddy longlegs or even an ant. But she’s done fantastically well.”

EastEnders fans have long fantasised that Jamie and Danielle were a real-life couple, and when Danielle lookalike Jazzy Phoenix joined Albert Square as Jay’s new love interest Nadine, rumours quickly began that they were dating in real life.

For now though, Jamie remains single. “They linked me with Jazzy and they linked me with Danielle,” he laughs. “I’m just surprised they haven’t linked me with Nancy! There is no lady on the scene at the minute, I’m just enjoying the quiet life.”

While he did enjoy Jazzy’s company, Jamie insists he felt more like her brother than her boyfriend. “We got on like a house on fire,” he confesses. “Like brother and sister.” And he hints Nadine might be back in Walford soon, teasing, “Nadine left a bit sudden, but as quick as they leave, they come back!”

This Christmas, EastEnders viewers will see Jamie receive a video message from Lola filmed before she died, telling him he’ll be running the London Marathon next year with Honey (Emma Barton).

Jamie and Emma ran the London Marathon for real in 2019 on behalf of Dementia Revolution in support of their late co-star Dame Barbara Windsor. Crossing the finish line felt euphoric, but Jamie can’t forget how tough it was.

“All we know so far is that Jay gets marathon shoes for Christmas,” says Jamie. “I ran a marathon in 2019. It was very, very, very hard. I had a lot of knee trouble. Emma and I were more or less crawling at the end but it was a really good feeling.”

Jamie might have the grit to run a marathon but he’s not keen on following Danielle on to I’m A Celebrity. “I would not do the jungle for all the money in the world!” he says. “Even with £250 billion looking at me in a suitcase, I would still say ‘no’. Even being on a plane for that long is not for me. The eating, the trials and all the animals… I shouldn’t be outside for that long. I don’t even like rice and beans…”

Instead, Jamie is happy to enjoy the gritty urban landscape of EastEnders and see what else the scriptwriters have conjured up for Jay. “I’ve always been happy there,” says Jamie. “I’ve always wanted to stay and they’ve always wanted me to stay so until that apple cart is upset, I’ll continue!”