Strictly Come Dancing star Jamie Borthwick has been accused of ‘boasting about an explicit sex act’.
The EastEnders actor, 30, took part in the BBC competition last year, where he was partnered with Michelle Tsiakkas.
He then joined the likes of Love Island’s Tasha Ghouri, JLS singer JB Gill and Wynne Evans on the Strictly live tour.
Evans was reportedly axed halfway through the country-wide tour after he was caught on camera allegedly using the term ‘spit roast’ towards Janette Manrara as she moved between him and Borthwick.
He has largely remained out of the spotlight since, but has become embroiled in a string of other controversies, with his lawyers reportedly submitting ‘a dossier of evidence’ to the BBC in an attempt to clear his name.
Just days ago, the drama surrounding the latest series of Strictly was amplified when it was claimed Evans and Borthwick were allegedly told off by BBC bosses after a video of the pair was discovered, in which they reportedly were joking around with a sex toy.
In footage obtained earlier this week, Evans, 53, and Borthwick could be seen backstage after the former reportedly sent a sex toy to the latter, who was then filming himself joking around with the toy, and said: ‘Look at what he bought me. I opened it up, and he surprised me with this, didn’t he? It’s so funny.’
That video was reportedly sent to the Strictly stars’ WhatsApp group, and it has now been claimed Borthwick allegedly made another joke about a sex act on the group.
Sources have claimed Evans’ comment, which sparked his removal from the live tour, was ‘weaker’ than Borthwick’s, which is reported to be ‘too explicit to be printed’.
According to The Sun, it was sent hours before the tour started on January 17, and was later referenced by some of the stars and pros.
An insider told the publication: ‘Wynne made a jokey comment, which was borne out of Jamie looking like a spitroast chicken because of how he warmed up on Strictly, and he got fired.
‘Jamie on the other hand boasted about engaging in a very explicit sex act and no one batted an eyelid.
‘His message was joked about afterwards as well, as it was a shocking thing for the stars and pros to read.
‘Some of the Strictly lot think the BBC acted too hastily in removing Wynne, because in reality some of the cast were taking it a lot further.’
They added that Wynne’s comment was made to Borthwick ‘where he believed no one could hear him’, but as Borthwick’s wasn’t caught on camera, ‘it appears like it’s one rule for one, and another rule for another’.
Since the video of the two joking about a sex toy emerged, Borthwick has reportedly been dumped by his girlfriend.
He has yet to speak out on the incident, but a source told The Sun on Sunday that as soon as bosses were made aware of the ‘shocking and immature footage’, they were quick to address the issue through the appropriate channels and ‘reminded the pair they had to act professionally.’
‘The men were acting extremely immaturely and inappropriately, considering it was a family show, and many cast members didn’t share their crass sense of humour,’ the source said.
They added that ‘bosses were horrified and shocked’ and hoped they had dealt with the issue before it was shared with anyone.
Unfortunately, they were too late and the video began circulating, with insiders claiming it is a perfect example of the ‘inappropriate culture’ that occurs behind the scenes on the hit show.
They continued to say that the two men were known to play pranks on each other regularly, and Borthwick often laughed about it like a ‘naughty schoolboy’, despite the fact other cast members thought it was crude.
Meanwhile it’s been said that Evans believes the BBC has ‘an agenda’ against him, after it was claimed he hadn’t said ‘spit roast’ to Manrara but had instead been speaking to Borthwick and saying ‘old spitroast boy’ as a reference to him ‘putting his legs above his head and looking like a spitroast chicken’.
A friend of Evans told The Sun: ‘These past few months have been absolutely torrid for Wynne. He has had his name dragged through the mud.
‘He feels he’s been thrown under a bus and left to fend for himself.’
