Jamie Borthwick says main Strictly show is ‘absolutely nothing like Christmas’

Strictly Come Dancing Christmas amusement victor Jamie Borthwick has said appearing connected the main bid is “absolutely thing like” the festive programme.

The 30-year-old actor, who won past year’s one-off peculiar with then-professional spouse Nancy Xu, told the PA quality bureau helium had been “humbled” by however antithetic the 2 versions of the BBC dancing amusement are.

The EastEnders prima said the main bid took “a spot more” than the Christmas episode, which helium described arsenic “fun” and “light”.

It comes aft helium performed the Viennese Waltz to Beautiful Things by Benson Boone, with nonrecreational dancer Michelle Tsiakkas connected the 20th day series’ archetypal unrecorded amusement connected Saturday, September 21.

Borthwick told PA: “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 people it’s fun, but it’s a spot more, this is the main show, each creation is different.”

Partner Tsiakkas added: “You are going from scratch with each caller creation and learning wholly caller skills.”

The 29-year-old dancer went connected to accidental that she felt the brace had a “very instant, earthy connection” and added they “get on truthful effortlessly”.

Speaking astir his partner, Borthwick said: “I can’t sing this one’s praises enough, she’s perfectly fantastic.

“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 went connected to uncover that Tsiakkas had been utilizing “really obscure analogies” to explicate what she wanted him to bash successful training.

The nonrecreational dancer explained: “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.

“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 said the couple’s performances could “only spell up” with much 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 turn can’t it?”

The adjacent occurrence of Strictly Come Dancing volition beryllium broadcast astatine 6.15pm connected BBC One connected Saturday, portion its sister amusement It Takes Two volition aerial each weekday this week astatine 6.30pm.