Jamie Borthwick puts Strictly curse rumours to bed by summing up relationship with Michelle

Strictly Come Dancing star Jamie Borthwick has quickly shut down any rumours of being hit with the the dreaded 'curse' as he gives a defiant response to ongoing speculation

Actor Jamie Borthwick says "nobody has to worry" about the Strictly curse as he gives a defiant response to rumours.

Fans noticed there was chemistry between the Eastenders star and pro dancer Michelle Tsiakkas, but the actor quickly dispelled any chance of romance as he revealed his Michelle 'mothers' him.

The 30-year-old also confessed he secretly idolises Michelle's boyfriend and even went as far as to call him his "rock" despite never actually meeting him. Jamie, who's been a prominent face in Eastenders since he was just 11 has become a hot favourite on this year's Strictly Come Dancing. But he insists the Strictly curse won't hit him, despite him and Michelle testing out cute nicknames for each other.

Laughing, he told The Mirror: "The idea of that whole Strictly curse, well it's definitely not going to be a thing here because it would be weird doing that with my sister. Michelle and I met before Strictly and we instantly had a connection. But she is like a sister, an aunt, a mum, a best friend. She's looking after me, she's mothering me."

When speaking about Michelle's real-life partner Simone Arena, he explained: "Her boyfriend doesn't know it yet because we've never met, but he's my rock already. I've been looking him up, watching him dance on his shows and I'm like, 'Mate, you're my icon'. He's an absolutely fantastic dancer."

Michelle, 29, added: "He hasn't met Jamie yet, but I think when they do, it's going to be just this lovely relationship that we all have. Jamie and I are like brother and sister, we have established such a lovely connection so early, which is special."

After winning last year's Strictly Christmas Special with a perfect 40 score, Jamie is a favourite to win, which is heaping on the pressure. He says: "Everyone's really making that known but this is a totally different ballgame. Compared to this, Christmas was an absolute doddle. Me and Nancy (Xu) were there for two weeks to learn one dance. It was brilliant but it was so easy peasy. And the Christmas show is a little bit more light hearted than the main show."

Michelle says: "It's the initial shock to the body, which I think all the celebrities will experience, where you're moving your body in a way that it’s not used to."

What perhaps isn't helping though is that Jamie admits he is inherently lazy and loves fast food. "I don't eat well," he says. "I love my McDonald's, Nando's, pizza. Then I'll think, right I've got to have some sea bass and spinach now. I'm really fussy. I don't like wet foods. So I don't have gravy on my roast, I don't have milk on my cereal. I don't like sauces, I don't like soups, I don't like stews. Michelle's allowed me to order Nando's every day. But I'm lazy, you need to nudge me. I'm one of those people, if I can get a little second to skive away I will. And Michelle knows that, she's got to keep an eye on me."

The dynamic duo are not the only partnership thoroughly enjoying their time together. Love Island star Tasha Ghouri has hit it off with Aljaz Skorjanec, as has singer Toyah Willcox with Neil Jones and Olympic swimming star Tom Dean with Nadiya Bychkova, if their social media snaps are anything to go by.

And for Jamie, one thing is vital. "As long as we're enjoying it and having fun, it kind of doesn’t matter. I'm not sure about the tanning, I quite like my pale, gaunt look. But the costumes? Yeah, let’s have it all."

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