Jamie Simon Borthwick (born 23 June 1994) is an English actor. He rose to prominence for his portrayal as Jay Brown in the BBC soap opera EastEnders which he has starred in since 2006. His role on EastEnders earned him a British Soap Award for "Best Dramatic Performance from a Young Actor or Actress" in 2008.

Career

Borthwick has portrayed Jay Brown in EastEnders since 2006. His first appearance aired on 14 December. His first appearance on mainstream television was as an orphan in the Celebrate Oliver! musical alongside Shane Richie and Joseph McManners in December 2005. In late 2006 Borthwick had a one-off role in Not Going Out. He also appeared in an episode of Gina's Laughing Gear. Borthwick won the award for Best Dramatic Performance From a Young Actor or Actress at the 2008 British Soap Awards and dedicated it to his late grandmother, who died one day prior to his win. He was paired with Nancy Xu for the 2023 Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special and the couple danced a Quickstep, achieving the maximum 40 points from the judges and winning the competition. Between September and November 2024, Borthwick competed in the twenty-second series of Strictly Come Dancing and was paired with professional dancer, Michelle Tsiakkas. Controversially, the couple were voted off in the 10th week, placing 7th.

Personal life

Borthwick carried boxer Kevin Mitchell's championship belt into the boxing ring prior to a bout in July 2007. He attended Sylvia Young Theatre School until he was 16. He is a second cousin to former EastEnders co-star Charlie Winter, who played Hunter Owen. In January 2019, it was announced that he would be running the London Marathon with some of his EastEnders co-stars for a dementia campaign in honour of Barbara Windsor. In May 2021, Borthwick was caught speeding in Romford, and he was subsequently given a driving ban. His lawyer appealed the ban, stating that Borthwick is recognised whilst using public transport, and "not all of these encounters are favourable". The ban was subsequently removed. In December 2023 Borthwick dismissed speculation that he was dating former co-star Danielle Harold who notably played his on-screen wife Lola Pearce-Brown. Borthwick supports Premier League football club West Ham United F.C.

Awards and nominations