EastEnders’ Jamie Borthwick breaks his silence on the Strictly curse as he responds to claims he is romantically involved with his professional partner Michelle Tsiakkas

Jamie Borthwick has dismissed suggestions he is romantically involved with fellow Strictly Come Dancing star Michelle Tsiakkas, insisting they are like “brothers”.

Over the years, the BBC show has sparked many off-screen romances between celebrities and their professional partners, with some even leaving their spouses to continue these relationships, giving rise to the name “the Strictly curse.”

Fans saw the chemistry between the EastEnders star, 30, and the professional dancer, 29, on the launch show as they tried out cute nicknames on each other.

However, he has since insisted that they are so much alike as brothers that “no one has to worry”.

Laughing at the idea of ​​the Strictly curse, Jamie said: The mirror:’The idea of ​​that whole Strictly curse, well, that’s definitely not going to be a thing here because it would be weird to do that with my sister.

“Michelle and I met before Strictly and we connected instantly. But she’s like a sister, an aunt, a mother, a best friend. She looks after me, she takes care of me like a mother.”

And Jamie, who has starred as cheeky Jay in the BBC One soap since he was 11, also said he admires Michelle’s boyfriend Simone Arena, who is a Dancing With The Stars champion.

He explained: ‘Her boyfriend doesn’t know yet because we’ve never met, but he’s already my rock. I’ve been looking for him, watching him dance at his shows and I’m like, ‘Dude, you’re my icon. He’s an absolutely fantastic dancer.’

Michelle also added that she and Jamie are like “brother and sister” and that they have already established “such a lovely connection” since the beginning of the show.

Jamie and Michelle, who will perform their first live show on Saturday, have been training for less than two weeks but Jamie confessed the intense training regime has already taken its toll.

He claimed it’s like he’s already won Strictly as he ‘smashed it’ just days later, but confessed he’s trying to keep it a ‘secret’ as he’s one of the youngest competitors on the show.

She also confessed that although the training regimen is tough, she still loves every aspect of it.

After winning last year’s Strictly Special with a perfect score of 40, Jamie is the favourite to win, adding to the pressure.

He claimed that everyone is “letting it be known” but this time it’s a “totally different game” as he confessed that the Christmas special was an absolute “piece of cake” compared to this year’s show as it’s a bit more “joyous”.

Jamie, who confessed that Strictly is “always in his head” when he goes to sleep, admitted that everything he had learnt over Christmas he had “completely forgotten”.

Michelle showed her support for her partner by adding that all celebrities experience an “initial shock” to their body when they move it in a way it’s not used to.

However, Jamie also confessed that he is inherently lazy and loves fast food, so Michelle has to “keep an eye on him.”

Jamie admitted he’s nervous about his first routine, saying his obvious concern is “falling over,” but a small part of him is hoping that happens so he can “get out of the way.”

However, despite the nerves, Jamie admitted that he and Michelle just want to “have a laugh” and “enjoy the buzz of live TV”.

The dynamic duo isn’t the only couple thoroughly enjoying their first steps together.

Love Island star Tasha Ghouri hit it off with Aljaz Skorjanec, singer Toyah Willcox with Neil Jones and Olympic swimming star Tom Dean with Nadiya Bychkova.

The first live show of Strictly Come Dancing will air on Saturday at 7pm on BBC One and iPlayer.