EastEnders Star Suspended By BBC Over 'Unacceptable' Language On Strictly Come Dancing Set

Jamie Borthwick in character as Jay Brown in EastEndersEastEnders actor Jamie Borthwick has been suspended from the soap after it emerged he once used an ableist slur while filming Strictly Come Dancing last year.Over the weekend, The Sun On Sunday reported that Jamie – who has played Jay Brown in the BBC series for almost 20 years – had used an “unacceptable” term while filming in Blackpool back in November.The tabloid reported the soap actor used the term to refer to the people of Blackpool in a video with fellow cast member Wynne Evans, leading to Jamie’s suspension.A spokesperson said: “This language is entirely unacceptable and in no way reflects the values or standards we hold and expect at the BBC. We have robust processes in place for this.”Jamie said in a statement to The Sun On Sunday: “I want to apologise sincerely and wholeheartedly for the words I used in the video showing my reaction to making it through Blackpool week on Strictly.“I am deeply sorry for any offence and upset my words and actions have caused. It is no excuse, but I did not fully understand the derogatory term I used and its meaning. That is on me completely.“Now I am aware, I am deeply embarrassed to have used the term and directed it in the way I did. It was wrong.”Michelle Tsiakkas and Jamie Borthwick performing live in Blackpool last yearHe insisted: “I enjoyed every minute of my time in the Blackpool Tower Ballroom and the town itself. The people of Blackpool have always been amazing with the Strictly crew, dancers and cast members.“I know they will be again for this year’s show and those in years to come. I am truly sorry.”Last week, Wynne Evans claimed that the BBC had opted not to renew his radio contract, after he was also embroiled in controversy during the most recent Strictly live tour.The Welsh performer bowed out of the tour early when he was caught on camera making a sexualised joke towards Jamie, which appeared to be about host Janette Manrara, though he has since insisted was actually a reference to a private nickname he had for the EastEnders actor.MORE STRICTLY:Strictly Pro Katya Jones Voices Support For Wynne Evans Amid Backlash Over Sexual JokeStrictly's Craig Revel Horwood Fires Back At Former Pro Claiming He Should Be ReplacedStrictly Come Dancing Professional Nadiya Bychkova Opens Up About Kai Widdrington Split

Comments

Breaking news

Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey starts filming in Scotland

The Herald

Comments

Similar News

Jamie Borthwick 'suspended from EastEnders after using shocking disabled slur backstage at Strictly'

Major EastEnders star 'QUITS the show after three years to pursue other opportunities'

EastEnders star suspended over 'unacceptable' language

EastEnders star Jamie Foreman says soap isn't 'anywhere near the highlight of my career' as he accuses show bosses of breaking promises

British Soap Awards get off to a poor start as technical difficulties delay show for SEVEN minutes leaving fans fuming and accusing ITV of deliberate sabotage after EastEnders left rivals Corrie and Emmerdale in the dust

EastEnders star Jill Halfpenny admits being out of work makes her feel 'pointless' as she opens up about the challenges of life as an actress

EastEnders star shows off the results of her health kick as she reveals new secret behind her five-stone weight loss

EastEnders star Clair Norris breaks silence on shock axing - and reveals she's already filmed her 'dramatic' exit

Former BBC studios where EastEnders was filmed riddled with asbestos

Lorraine viewers seriously distracted by EastEnders star Shona McGarty's appearance as she promotes new show

EastEnders and Bad Girls star Simone Lahbib to join River City in its final year

Anita Dobson wins big for her surprise EastEnders return while Emmerdale's Amelia Flanagan is overcome with emotion as she accepts Best Young Performer gong at British Soap Awards

Paloma Faith insists SHE was bullied after EastEnders star Natalie Cassidy claimed singer tormented her at 'rough' London school which has a very famous history

EastEnders Bernie actress breaks silence on shock axe as she's supported by co-stars

EastEnders star Natalie Cassidy claims huge pop star 'bullied her at school' and they have spoken about it since

EastEnders icon set to make huge 'return to Albert Square' 20 years after quitting the BBC soap

EastEnders leaves its rivals in the dust as show takes home 8 gongs at the British Soap Awards (and another series only receives one)

EastEnders 'is bringing back an iconic character' in shock recast after an eight-year absence from the Square

EastEnders star Laura Doddington reveals she nearly quit acting for a VERY different career path before landing her role on the soap

Dani Dyer's 'wild' fiancé Jarrod Bowen set to jet off to major party town for his stag do under watch of her EastEnders dad Danny

Breaking news

Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey starts filming in Scotland

Swinney defends his claim Hamilton by-election was contest between SNP and Reform

'If I weren't a chef - I probably would have ended up as an extra on EastEnders.'

Five senior councillors to appear in court over 'health and safety matter'

Couple find their stolen car and take it back after getting fed up with police

Londoners take graffiti covered Tube trains into their own hands

Teenager jailed in Dubai for family holiday romance appeals to Sheikh for pardon

Plastic surgeon who stabbed rival doctor and tried to burn down his home jailed

What happens to Greta Thunberg and the Madleen crew now?

Vladimir Putin Will Be Able To Attack The West 'Within Five Years', Says Nato Chief

'I Ended A Years-Long Friendship Over A Sunscreen Argument. Was I Wrong?'

Mother details ‘nightmare’ after Trump sends son to El Salvador mega-prison where he’s being held incommunicado

Democrats have a dirty secret - they actually like some of the tax cuts in Trump’s ‘big beautiful bill’

Celebrity birthdays for the week of June 15-21

Popular fitness equipment recalled by Costco after more than 100 injuries reported

Search underway for six missing passengers from Cessna plane that crashed off San Diego coast

White House struggles to find qualified people willing to serve under Pete Hegseth: report

Spending review is ‘settled’, says Downing Street

Drinking a soda could be worse than eating a candy bar, researchers find

More than 1,200 mothers and 900 children impacted by Dutch fertility scandal

NHS trust cleared of manslaughter after woman takes life in mental health unit

White House budget request slashes funding for tribal colleges and universities

FTSE 100 dips while markets watch for US-China talks progress

Dr Phil was embedded with ICE agents during LA raids

Family pay tribute to ‘funny, caring’ boy, 14, stabbed to death in Manchester

Elon Musk’s father says Tesla boss called Donald Trump ‘evil’ and a ‘crook’

Israel seized a Gaza-bound boat with Greta Thunberg on board. Can it do that?

Plastic surgeon jailed for trying to kill colleague during Covid lockdown

Whoopi Goldberg clashes with her ‘View’ colleagues on Elon Musk-Trump breakup: ‘It’s fake!’

Martin Lewis gives his verdict on Labour’s winter fuel payment U-turn

Texas sheriff will not face charges after forgetting gun in Wendy’s bathroom for teen to find and fire

Mom’s heartbreak as hairstylist daughter who mysteriously vanished found dead two months later

Oklahoma prosecutors seek retrial for death row inmate Richard Glossip

‘Hope is not a strategy’: Why Nato is calling for Cold War levels of defence spending

2 people killed in shooting on Las Vegas Strip near Bellagio fountains, police say

British teenager Marcus Fakana jailed in Dubai over sex with girl, 17, pleads for clemency

The future leader of the SNP is not who you think it is

Man jailed for eight years for serious child sex offences

IND VS ENG: Gautam Gambhir stops Rishabh Pant from batting, big news came from England

Samudrik Shastra: Signal is to get government jobs in these 3 places on the body, know

Leo speak .. Big trouble raised at the door of India, this step filled with China, know

Archaeologists find 6,000-year-old skeletons from Colombia with ancient DNA which could rewrite human history

Here’s why Keir Starmer thinks technology will actually make us ‘more human’

Boy’s alleged killer ‘was flat Earth conspiracy theorist inspired by Elon Musk’

Zia Yusuf Says Reform Would Deport All Illegal Immigrants – But Nigel Farage Said It Is 'Impossible'

Palestinians say Israel and its allies fired on a crowd near Gaza aid site. Hospital says 14 killed

‘Too low, now too high’: Rachel Reeves’ winter fuel U-turn reignites fairness debate

Amazon to spend $20 billion on data centers in Pennsylvania, including one at a nuclear power plant

60 minutes host issues dire warning over multimillion-dollar CBS settlement with Trump

FBI adds one Los Angeles protester to its ‘Most Wanted’ list for damaging government vehicles

Nintendo's Switch 2 soups up the graphics, but does it deliver the games?

Nigel Farage calls for ‘re-industrialisation’ of Wales

Kim Novak to receive Venice Film Festival’s lifetime achievement honor

Misty Copeland broke barriers in ballet. Now she’s retiring and moving to ‘the next stage’

Tough talk drags on in Cambodia-Thailand border standoff. But tensions appear to be easing

‘He’s my hero’: Gilgo Beach suspect Rex Heuermann’s wife says her husband is innocent in the seven murders

Under Patel, FBI heightens focus on violent crime, illegal immigration. Other threats abound, too