BBC Strictly Come Dancing's Jamie Borthwick hits back as he brands show a 'tough year'

Jamie Borthwick has said his Strictly Come Dancing training is taking a "toll" on his body as he also hit back at comments over his dance experience.

The EastEnders star, 30, has been showing off his dance moves for seven weeks alongside his pro dancer partner Michelle Tsiakkas, 29, but the high scores do not come without some aching muscles.

He told new! magazine: "Rehearsals have been tiring for me, I've gone from zero 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."

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The pair have topped the leaderboard in weeks five and six, but it is not the Jay Brown actor's first time on the hit BBC dance contest. He competed alongside professional dancer Nancy Xu in the Strictly Christmas special last year - and won.

Jamie - who scored 31 points out of 40 in the latest live show on Saturday night (November 2) - added: "I went to Sylvia Young Theatre School where we took dance classes, but 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. 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."

He added: "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."