Jamie Borthwick, who played Jay Brown on the BBC soap EastEnders for nearly two decades, has been dismissed from the show after 19 years following a suspension earlier this year over footage in which he used a derogatory term to describe disabled people.
A spokesperson for BBC Studios said in a short statement: "We can confirm that Jamie Borthwick will not be returning to EastEnders. We do not comment on individual matters." The corporation has previously said each case is considered on its facts and that inappropriate behaviour and language will not be tolerated.
The lapse that prompted Borthwick's suspension occurred during filming for Strictly Come Dancing 2024, when a video obtained by media outlets showed him using a slur to describe residents of Blackpool while backstage. Reports said the remark was made while he was rehearsing and that fellow contestant Wynne Evans could be heard reacting. Borthwick issued an apology at the time, saying he "did not fully understand the derogatory nature of the term" and was "deeply embarrassed" by his words.
Disability charity campaigners criticised the language and its context on a programme that reaches family audiences. Shani Dhanda of Scope noted the actor's long association on EastEnders with characters who have disabilities and said the comment was particularly worrying. Local councillors in Blackpool also demanded a personal apology for any hurt caused.
Borthwick, 31, joined EastEnders in 2006 as a child and became one of the show's longest‑serving cast members. His role as Jay Brown won him a British Soap Award for Best Dramatic Performance from a Young Actor in 2008 and an Inside Soap Award for Best Actor in 2023.
The slur was not the only controversy surrounding the actor this year. Media reports also detailed allegations from former partners accusing Borthwick of concurrent relationships. One woman, identified in reports as Jordan Dwyer, told friends she had been misled and said he had "sold her a lie for more than six months." Another former partner, Chloe Strand, has accused him of cheating during his involvement with Strictly and on the show's subsequent live tour. Those accounts were reported by tabloid outlets and are presented as the women’s allegations.
In a separate incident linked to Strictly, footage circulated in April showed Borthwick and Evans with a novelty sex toy that had been sent to the actor, a clip that was said to have been shared on a contestants' WhatsApp group. According to reports, BBC executives formally addressed the matter, reminding the pair of professional expectations on a family entertainment programme. A source quoted by the press said bosses were "horrified and shocked" when the clip was shared more widely.
BBC representatives have reiterated that they do not comment on individual personnel matters beyond confirming outcomes, while also emphasising organisational standards on conduct. Media coverage of Borthwick's conduct prompted calls at various points for awareness‑raising measures and training; it is not clear if any such interventions were completed before the actor's exit was announced.
EastEnders' production has frequently adjusted its cast over the decades as storylines evolve; Borthwick's departure removes one of the longest continuous links to the show's early‑2000s era. The BBC has not released further details about how the character Jay Brown will be written out of the programme or when his final scenes will air.
Representatives for Borthwick did not immediately respond to requests for additional comment beyond his earlier apology.