How Jamie Borthwick scored a direct hit on Strictly's Christmas special

Strictly Come Dancing contestant Jamie Borthwick is no newcomer to ballroom dancing, having won the Christmas special last year.

The EastEnders star is one of the latest celebs confirmed for the upcoming season of the BBC dancing competition, and he brings plenty of experience with him, having wowed Shirley Ballas and co in the 2023 festive episode and won the Strictly Silver Star trophy.

We take a look back at the Jay Brown actor's Strictly experience.

Jamie Borthwick scored a perfect 40

Borthwick was paired with professional dancer Nancy Xu and the pair danced the quickstep to Merry Christmas Everyone. Judges Ballas, Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse and Anton Du Beke all gave them a perfect 10.

It was enough for him to beat his competitors Dan Snow, Sally Nugent, Danny Cipriani, Tillie Amartey and Keisha Buchanan and win the coveted title.

Commenting on the performance, the chairman of the jury, Ballas, said: “If I could jump over that bar and dance around the room in a quickstep, I would do it with you! I don't have a paddle high enough for you.”

Mabuse called her number “the surprise of the evening” and Revel Horwood joked: “Jamie, you rocked me back and forth, darling, you were fabulous!”

“It's great, it's been a wonderful experience, but we're all winners here,” Borthwick said at the time, calling the program “magical.”

Borthwick was quoted by Ballet News as saying his time on the dance floor was “a thrill.”

“I really enjoyed learning a new skill,” he explained. “Anyone can teach anyone their craft. Nancy can tell me to put my right leg here and point my toes, but she explains it to me in a way that I understand. To me, that's the difference between a teacher and a great teacher, and that's exactly what she did throughout this whole experience.”

What did Jamie Borthwick say about joining Strictly 2024?

The actor is excited about the opportunity to take part in Strictly again.

“I had a great time on the Strictly Christmas special last year, so when I was asked to take part in this series it was a no-brainer to say yes!” he said after being confirmed for the show.

“This is a new challenge and it will be very different learning a new dance every week and letting the audience have their say. I hope to be dancing salsa in Albert Square soon and will ask my Walford Strictly alumni for some words of wisdom. See you on the dance floor!”

Borthwick will join Strictly alongside Tom Dean, Shayne Ward, Sarah Hadland, Pete Wicks, Tasha Ghouri, Dr Punam Krishan, Toyah Willcox, JB Gill, Wynne Evans and Chris McCausland, with more celebrities to be confirmed.

Strictly Come Dancing returns to BBC One this autumn.

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