BBC Strictly's Jamie Borthwick 'forced to wing it' as he shares little known rehearsal fact

EastEnders star Jamie says new routines need to stick early in the week otherwise the celebs have to make up some steps

Jamie Borthwick has admitted some weeks he has to "wing it" on Strictly Come Dancing as you only really have until Thursdays to learn the routine.

The soap actor is combining scenes on Albert Square with learning new moves for the ballroom with his pro partner Michelle Tsiakkas, but says it can be a struggle to remember everything.

EastEnders star Jamie said: "I've been speaking to Jamie Bye(Martin Fowler in EastEnders, and he was like 'look, if you haven't got the routine by Thursday, don't worry about it, just accept that maybe you're not going to get the routine'. Because Friday is not really a rehearsal day - we come in and we do a tech run. If there's a week where I'm really worried about the routine, hime giving me that advice to just let it go is really good. Basically, just wing it on a Saturday!"

There was no sign of Jamie winging it at the weekend when he and Michelle earned 31 points in Icons Week for their samba to George Michael’s Faith, with soap star Jamie channelling the late singer with a blonde hairdo and classic pair of Ray-Bans.

And soap fans continue to vote for him in their thousands giving him a chance of making it to Blackpool and then the final.

In a new interview Jamie also revealed despite many celebs shedding pounds on the show he is actually putting on weight some weeks as he refuels whenever he can in between dance sessions.

Jamie explained: "I'm eating everything so I am actually putting weight on. But I need so much energy!" Asked if they sometimes need to let costumes out on a Friday after first fittings on Wednesdays, he joked: "No, trying them on at three o'clock and let them out by five!"

He said the only downside to the show was that you are so in a bubble he does not have time to see family and friends, he explained to Closer magazine : "I don't know what's going on in their lives."

Jamie, who also competed in the Christmas special of Strictly in 2023, insisted despite Strictly being in the headlines for the wrong reasons ahead of the new series with allegations of bullying, the group this year are having a great time. He said: "I'm lucky to be doing it with such a good group of people. There's no negativity, it's just a genuine group."

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