RUMOURS are rife that EastEnders star Jamie Borthwick is doing the tongue tango with his gorgeous Strictly Come Dancing partner Michelle Tsiakkas.
But the soap star says viewers hoping the couple have been struck by the show’s famous love curse are going to be disappointed — because she is more like his mum.
Speaking exclusively to The Sun, Jamie, 30, said: “Honestly, it’s hilarious that people think we’re getting jiggy!
“I really don’t know where that comes from, but I think everyone kind of just pre-empts the Strictly curse.
“You definitely ain’t got no worries about Michelle — she’s like a sister, mum and auntie all rolled into one.
“She’s constantly like, ‘Have you slept well? Have you got this and that?’, I’m being mothered! We’ve got sibling chemistry.”
Fans were thrilled when Jamie appeared to confirm that he and Michelle had grown close, during a chat on Saturday’s show.
While telling a story about training, he said: “We had a delirious night the other night when we were just laying there.”
Host Claudia Winkleman leapt on the comment, hilariously adding: “Delirious night, snuggled up, please continue . . .”
But modest Jamie, who’s been on our screens as Walford’s Jay Brown since 2006, says he is sure neither 29-year-old Michelle nor his legion of fans would be interested in him anyway, thanks to his “pale little body”.
So he will be keeping everything under wraps, leaving hunks including Vito Coppola and Pete Wicks to show off their six-packs.
Could spell disaster
Asked if he is prepared to flash the flesh for votes, Jamie said: “I mean, we’ve done the rumba and that’s probably the best you’re going to get out of Borthwick!
“I feel like we should leave that to the big boys, the Vito and Pete Wicks of the world with their six-packs and stuff.
“I’m afraid I have a pale little body . . . all them women who want to marry me — they won’t want to after they see that.”
Jamie’s bulging social media inbox would suggest otherwise, as a flood of fans fight for his attention.
So has the influx of marriage proposals meant a relationship is something single Jamie might now be thinking about?
“Honestly, I haven’t got time to even have a haircut! There is not a woman on the planet who would settle for my schedule at the moment, I’ll tell you that.
“So, no, I think for the minute I’ll just focus on my salsa and stick with my ‘sister’ Michelle for the time being. Michelle can be my wing woman and weed out the good messages.”
He added: “That’ll take up about two and a half minutes of her day!”
Jamie is nearly two months into his Strictly journey and has been counting his blessings that he was paired with the Cypriot-British dancer.
Now in its 20th year, Strictly has been rocked by backstage bullying scandals that have dominated the headlines.
But the lad has no concerns about his own experience so far — though he admits he can see why a clash with your pro partner on the show could spell disaster.
He explained: “Michelle’s the perfect teacher, she’s patient and understanding. She really gets that I’ve never done this before and that every week I am learning something new. So she allows me the time to let it go into my muscle memory. She’s very, very supportive and understands me.
“She knows I need a little bit of fun during the day and a little bit of a laugh, and we have all of that as well.
“She gets the perfect balance.
“I actually couldn’t ask for a better partner because your dance partner is really what makes your experience.
“You know, God forbid, if you don’t get on then your experience is going to be terrible, it’s going to be a drag.
“I haven’t had a day where I’ve gone, ‘Look, I really don’t want to go in today and see Michelle because she’s annoying me’. Not once have I had a moment like that — honestly, she’s amazing.”
It’s a good job the pair have hit it off because Jamie is spending more time with Michelle than anyone else in his life right now.
EastEnders bosses have cut his filming schedule to one day a week so he can pack in a gruelling eight hours of training every day.
But he’s started to feel like the hard work is paying off.
Jamie explained: “Self-doubt does creep in. You think, ‘What am I doing here?’ You stand there waiting to hear if you’ve got through and I think about all these really happy moments that I’ve had and how much I’m loving being on Strictly.
“I think, ‘This can all come to an end in a minute’ and I do get a little bit sad that this could all be over soon.
“I’m certainly not taking anything for granted in any way. You know, I am genuinely heading into every week kind of going, ‘This could be my last week, so make sure I give it my all’. But I am critical of myself. This week when I came in on Monday I went, ‘Oh God, how on Earth am I going to do this salsa in five days? How am I going to perform this?’”
Panicked moments
He is clearly finding a way, after turning in a string of solid performances.
Jamie’s Elton John-themed quickstep for Movie Week bagged him 30 points, up from 27 for his rumba and 23 for a Viennese waltz in the previous week.
Jamie said: “The great thing about Strictly is you do it, you learn it, you go home and sleep on it and it just comes together.
“Bobby Brazier, my EastEnders co-star who also did Strictly, said that to me — you have those panicked moments but it all works out in the end. But the competition is so tough this year.”
After winning the Strictly Christmas special last year, Jamie knows there’s a lot of pressure on his shoulders.
He has even faced comic digs from his rivals including Wynne Evans, who cheekily branded him a “cheat” for doing the series just months after the festive episode.
Jamie said: “I know they want to push me so that I do the best job I can. But this dancing thing, I’ve really got to work at it. You know, I don’t find it easy. It doesn’t come naturally to me.
“This is a really new challenge and it changes every week. I’m trying not to fall into any pressure traps. I’m trying to just remember that even if you win this show it’s still gonna be over before it’s begun.”
So is he bothered by the light-hearted swipes at his past triumph on the dance floor?
“You take whatever Wynne says with a pinch of salt!” he smiled.
“Honestly, the banter we have, we have a right laugh. We take the mickey out of each other and it’s all in good jest. We’ve really got a nice group this year.
“So when the reality of the competition hits, like Tom going out, it’s like a member of our gang’s gone. It’s horrible.”
Punk singer Toyah Willcox was booted from the ballroom last weekend and raised eyebrows when she warned her fellow dancers that if they want to avoid the dreaded dance-off they need to “get rid” of Chris McCausland.
The blind comic is hotly tipped to take the Strictly crown this year after wowing the judges and fans at home.
But Jamie insists he is ready to roll out the red carpet for his new pal.
He said: “I think what Chris is doing is absolutely amazing. It is one of the most incredible things I think we’ve ever seen.
“He’s such a lovely guy and what Dianne Buswell is doing with him is absolutely fantastic.
- Strictly Come Dancing is on BBC1 at 6.20pm.
