Former EastEnders favourite Jamie Borthwick has finally broken his silence with a sombre Christmas post after being dramatically sacked from the BBC soap earlier this year.

Jamie Borthwick has shared a glum Christmas message after being sacked from EastEndersCredit: Instagram

The 31-year-old actor, who joined Albert Square back in 2006 as Jay Brown, was sensationally given his marching orders in September — just three months after being suspended and following almost 19 years on the show.

The actor was axed from the soap back in SeptemberCredit: BBC
 
He used a derogatory term to describe the people of BlackpoolCredit: Instagram

Since his dismissal, Jamie has kept a low profile on social media. But over the festive period he re-emerged to wish fans well, sharing a black-and-white photo of himself wearing a Christmas hat and attempting a smile.

Alongside the image, he wrote:
“Wishing everyone a merry Christmas and let’s hope for a slightly better 2026 for us all xx.”

The brief message was his first public comment since being axed, and it left many followers stunned by its quietly heartbreaking tone.

Jamie’s downfall began in June after a video emerged in which he was seen using a deeply derogatory term to describe people from Blackpool — the town where the Strictly Come Dancing Christmas special was being filmed at the time.

Strictly Come Dancing 2024 4 The comment was made while he was competing on last year’s Strictly Come

The footage, which had been sent to a friend, showed him backstage during rehearsals at the Blackpool Tower Ballroom alongside co-star Wynne Evans. The pair were celebrating after discovering they had both been chosen for the Strictly live tour.

In the clip, Jamie is seen laughing before making the offensive remark about the seaside town.

He later issued a grovelling apology, but disability charity Scope publicly called for him to undergo “awareness training”, and sources said his future on EastEnders was already hanging by a thread.

One insider explained:
“Jamie is well thought of, but Jay hasn’t played a central role for a while. He’s been more of a supporting character recently, with limited screen time.”

They added that while Jamie had been kept busy outside the soap — appearing in the Strictly Christmas special in 2023 and competing in the full series last year — his presence in EastEnders had dwindled to just around 30 appearances since last summer.

“With a new boss, Ben Wadey, having just taken over and the scandal happening so soon into his tenure, the feeling was that Jamie’s place on the show was at serious risk,” the source said.

BBC Studios confirmed in September that Jamie would not be returning to the soap that made him a household name.

A spokesperson said:
“We can confirm that Jamie Borthwick will not be returning to EastEnders. We do not comment on individual matters.”

For a man who spent nearly two decades growing up on screen, the sudden end to his soap career has been a devastating fall from grace — and his subdued Christmas message suggests it is a chapter he is still struggling to close.

Source: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/