EastEnders' Jamie Borthwick and Michelle Tsiakkas tease Strictly Come Dancing star's 'nap' habit

EastEnders star Jamie Borthwick is currently impressing the judges and viewers alike on this year's series of Strictly Come Dancing - and he says he's been enjoying the muscle aches

After nearly two decades on EastEnders, Jamie Borthwick is as familiar with Walford as he is with his own reflection. However, the same can't be said for the Strictly dancefloor, which he's tackling head-on in this year's series - and so far, he's certainly stepping up to the plate. "It's going really well. It's hard work, but it's good," says 30 year old Jamie about his experience on the glitzy BBC competition, during an exclusive chinwag at the Pride Of Britain Awards, with OK!.

With his dance partner Michelle Tsiakkas by his side, it's clear that Jamie - who recently opened up on his struggles with health anxiety - has formed a tight-knit bond with the professional, as they chuckle together during our conversation. "Yeah, he's doing really well. He's a good learner, my partner. Sometimes I need to get him off of his bum, but he's good!" Michelle giggles. "Oh! Normally, she says, 'Oh, he's amazing' but today I'm just good - this is what it's really like, it's all coming out! "Jamie retorts in mock surprise, as his partner adds cheekily, 'Sometimes he wants to take a nap, when he shouldn't!"

The pair tease each other playfully about life in the training room, with Jamie even throwing in a few sly digs about Michelle's teaching methods, "She doesn't let me ask any questions!" he proclaims. Jokes aside, he assures, "Nah, I'm messing. Michelle is amazing - and we are working really hard together. " He shares, "Rehearsals have been tiring for me, I've gone from 0 to 100. I can't say I usually get up and dance for eight hours a day! So, it does take a natural toll on your body. But I'm enjoying it. Surprisingly, I quite like the muscle aches now. " Michelle chimes in with, "I told you that you'd come to like the aches!" to which Jamie agrees, "You did. I think it's the feeling of your body getting stronger. I like it.

" Jamie is no stranger to Strictly, having competed in last December's Christmas special alongside Nancy Xu and taking home the win. This season, some contestants, like reality star Tasha Ghouri who has formal dance training, have faced criticism for their prior experience. Jamie's perspective is that dance skills on the show are a bit like 'snakes and ladders'. He clarifies, "I went to Sylvia Young Theatre School where we took dance classes, but certainly not Latin and ballroom. My first Latin and Ballroom [experience] was at the strictly Christmas show in December, which was two weeks of one routine.

So, I wouldn't say I've got dance experience by any means. " Jamie and Michelle banter each other playfully about life in the training room, Jamie even getting in a few cheeky jibes about Michelle's teaching techniques, "But really, Strictly is like snakes and ladders; You go up a ladder in the week and then you go down a snake afterwards because on Monday, you're back to zero again on a brand new dance that you've never done before. Everyone on the show is just brilliant. Everyone's fantastic. There are some really great great dancers so it's a tough year, really tough."

Since Strictly kicked off in September for its 20th series, Jamie has been impressing judges Shirley Ballas, Anton Du Beke, Motsi Mabuse and Craig Revel Horwood with his improvement each week. But which judge is the most intimidating when it comes to the live performances? "None of them are scary actually, they're all great," reveals Jamie, as Michelle adds: "Jamie was looking forward to Craig's criticism, actually, but it's not really happened too much!

"When we ask whether the actor thinks he could actually take home the coveted Glitterball trophy this year, Jamie's reaction is humble as ever - as he assures us that winning isn't 'on his mind'. "I'm not thinking that far ahead, I'm not. I just want to enjoy the experience, which I'm doing. As long as I continue to do that, then I've won just by enjoying it and being a part of it. " "And we're all a really strong group. I think they cast it really well this year. When we get together with the pros, we all form one big group, and honestly, it's a really good place to be."

While Strictly mania - and long rehearsal days - has been taking over, soap fans will be happy to know that Jamie hasn't abandoned his fellow Walford residents. In fact, he has been filming for EastEnders alongside dance rehearsals. No wonder Michelle jokes that he sometimes needs a 'nap'. He explains, "I'm still at EastEnders, I'm doing both and managing my time around both. Michelle knows I'm still there, so we work with it. It is a bit tricky to manage but there's other people doing other work, so, it's not just me. Wynne [Evans] is also doing his radio show every day and JB [Gill] has been doing work with the JLS boys, so I'm not the only one. We're making it work. I love EastEnders."