Natalie Cassidy backs EastEnders co-star against Strictly ‘fix’ claims after previous win
EXCLUSIVE: EastEnders icon Natalie Cassidy is rooting for her co-star Jamie Borthwick to win Strictly Come Dancing 2024, following his previous victory of lifting the Glitterball
Natalie Cassidy has jumped to the defence of her EastEnders’ co-star Jamie Borthwick amid the Strictly Come Dancing fix row.
Jamie, 30, is set to compete for the coveted Glitterball trophy next month against a host of other brave celebrities.
Natalie Cassidy doesn’t believe having Jamie Borthwick back on Strictly is ‘a fix’
Not new to the show’s dance floor however, the actor clinched victory in last year’s Christmas special of the show with pro dancer Nancy Xu.
Following the announcement that he will now be competing on the main show, some have branded the programme “a fix”.
In a mix of comments on social media, one claimed Jamie was at “an unfair advantage” given his past twirl on the dance floor, while others noted the Christmas special isn’t as demanding as the full-blown series.
Jamie Borthwick and Nancy Xu won the Strictly Come Dancing Christmas special in 2023 ( Image: BBC)
Natalie, 41, a previous Strictly contestant from the 2009 series, has now shared why Jamie’s festive triumph doesn’t make him better than his fellow competitors.
She said: “I think the Christmas one is very much fun, I don’t think they learn much at all within that time. I don’t think they have a lot of time.”
“And, I think he was a lovely character on it, so why not have him back for the series?”, reports the Express.
“It is not a fix, I just think it’s great and it obviously works with his work as well and timings and all of that, which people don’t really understand.
“I think it’s brilliant and I don’t think there’s any fix at all really.”
She went on to dish advice out to Jamie telling him to “go and enjoy yourself” and has every confidence that he’ll “smash it”.
She continued: “It’s so wonderful to have someone you know [on] there because I love it and we watch is as a family, we can’t wait for a Saturday night to sit down.
Natalie Cassidy is looking forward to seeing her EastEnders co-star Jamie Borthwick back on the dance floor ( Image: GETTY)
“But, he is a very close friend of mine so he’s like an extra nephew. I’m really excited for him and very proud of him for doing it.
“I’m going to be championing him all the way.”
Jamie has expressed that competing on the main show will be “a fresh challenge” for him. “It will be so different to be learning a new dance every week and for the public to have their say,” he said.
“I’m hoping to be Salsa-ing around Albert Square in no time and I’ll be asking my Walford Strictly alumni for some words of wisdom.”
Joining the dance extravaganza are; DIY SOS icon Nick Knowles, Gladiators’ sensation Montell Douglas aka Fire, pop star Toyah Willcox, JLS singer JB Gill and football legend Paul Merson.
Before she gets cosy for the upcoming series, Natalie has joined forces with Maltesers for its MotherLovers campaign.
The ‘Real Out of Office’ initiative encourages colleagues and those around working mums to say ‘Let’s lighten the load’ and recognise the balancing act they perform daily.
