EastEnders star Jamie Borthwick has responded to claims made online that the Strictly Come Dancing judges were “harsh” on his debut performance last weekend.
The actor, 30, has been paired with Michelle Tsiakkas, 29, in the BBC competition, and the pair began their journey on the show with a Viennese Waltz.
The pair achieved a score of 23, placing them sixth on the leaderboard for week one.
However, some fans accused the judges of being more critical of the actor than they were of the other famous faces, something It Takes Two host Fleur East was keen to address on Friday.
The two appeared on the spin-off chat show, and East, 36, wanted Borthwick’s thoughts on the public opinion.
“Now Jamie, online, quite a few people were saying that the judges were very, very harsh on you,” the presenter pointed out.
Jamie Borthwick was asked about the critical feedback he received from Strictly judges
BBC
Offering a potential explanation, East noted the fact that Borthwick had won last year’s Strictly Christmas Special, adding: “Maybe due to your Christmas success!”
She continued by sharing one of the many tweets criticising the judges for their scoring of Borthwick, stating: “Someone wrote online, ‘Judges – harsh much. Seemed far more critical than with anyone else? I thought it was fab!'”
“They were critical, but they’re judges, that’s what it’s meant to be,” the actor shared.
He quickly pointed out: “Craig [Revel Horwood] liked it! I’d much rather Craig love it and the other three not.”
Jamie Borthwick and Michelle Tsiakkas will be performing a rumba in tomorrow’s Strictly
BBC
Tsiakkas added: “You wanted the criticism from Craig but he was the one who ended up loving it, so!”
They went on to share how they’d be performing a rumba in tomorrow’s show. When asked how his hips and core have been, Borthwick admitted: “Sore! Really stretching out those hips.”
He continued: “Yeah, sore – but do you know what, I’ve loved it.
“People are kind of like, ‘Oh, it’s really hard, everyone hates it,’ and I understand it’s the first rumba in 15 years on week two!”
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“They do like to challenge him, don’t they?” Tsiakkas remarked, to which the actor replied: “But oddly enough, by sheer luck – I like the rumba!”
“And you did it for the first time in the ballroom today,” East noted, adding: “How did it feel doing it in that space?”
“Amazing,” Tsiakkas answered. “They’ve got some wind machines as well blowing on us while we’re dancing, it just makes it feel like we really are on the beach, having a rumba enjoying ourselves.”