Jamie Borthwick opens up on intense Strictly Come Dancing journey after Christmas success

The EastEnders prima won past year's one-off festive variation of the dancing amusement with erstwhile nonrecreational spouse Nancy Xu but admits the main amusement is precise different

Jamie Borthwick precocious spilled the beverage connected however his acquisition successful the main Strictly Come Dancing bid has been worlds isolated from the Christmas special. The 30-year-old, who clinched triumph successful past year's one-off peculiar with then-professional spouse Nancy Xu, confessed to PA quality bureau that helium was "humbled" by the stark opposition betwixt the 2 iterations of the BBC creation fest.

The EastEnders personage remarked that the flagship bid demanded "a spot more" from its contenders compared to the festive episode, which helium remembered arsenic being "fun" and "light". This revelation follows his show to Benson Boone's 'Beautiful Things' alongside pro dancer Michelle Tsiakkas during the 20th-anniversary series' archetypal unrecorded amusement connected Saturday, September 21.

Opening up to PA, Borthwick shared: "I've got a substance of earthy nerves, which are good, and excitement. But listen, this process has been perfectly thing similar the Christmas amusement astatine all. Even this clip (first unrecorded show) erstwhile it's been benignant of easier than it volition beryllium connected different weeks due to the fact that we've had that other week. It's been thing similar the Christmas show."

"The Christmas amusement is similar a bomb, it's been and gone, I've forgotten astir it now. I've been humbled precise quickly, by conscionable however antithetic they are, and they are truthful different. Me and Nancy (Xu) worked hard connected our regular but it was existent amusive and light, whereas this time, of course, it's fun, but it's a spot more, this is the main show, each creation is different."

Partner Tsiakkas remarked: "You are going from scratch with each caller creation and learning wholly caller skills." The 29 twelvemonth aged dancer expressed that she felt the duo had a "very instant, earthy connection" and noted they "get on truthful effortlessly". Borthwick praised his partner, saying: "I can't sing this one's praises enough, she's perfectly fantastic."

He described their training, mentioning: "This week's been a spot agelong and a spot strenuous, a spot tough, and I'm like, you're going to person to carnivore with maine today, and she's like, mother, sister, aunt, everything each rolled into one." The histrion disclosed that Tsiakkas had been utilizing "really obscure analogies" during their signifier sessions.

The nonrecreational dancer elaborated: "If I privation much occurrence from him, I'll say, unreal similar I conscionable stole your Nando's chickenhearted burger, and that would marque him truly angry, and, you know, helium gave maine what I wanted." She besides said: "Or I'll comparison thing to Takeshi's Castle, I don't cognize if radical are inactive watching that, (and usage it) to explicate the transportation of value from 1 ft to the other, and however you shouldn't transportation excessively overmuch to the beforehand limb different you'll autumn successful the river."

Borthwick optimistically stated that their performances could "only spell up" with further signifier and added: "You know, the much we're dancing with each different and rehearsing with each other, accidental we're learning much astir each other. I consciousness precise comfy with Michelle, she's a fantastic teacher, I deliberation she's starting to benignant of summation my strengths and weaknesses, and we're conscionable benignant of playing connected each other's strengths. Our bully enslaved and however comfy we are with each other, it tin lone grow, can't it?:

Strictly Come Dancing airs astatine 6.15pm connected BBC One this Saturday.

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