EastEnder actor Jamie Borthwick has been sacked from the soap after almost 20 years following a leaked video of him using a disabled slur.
Jamie, who has appeared on screens as Jay Brown since 2006, has been suspended for months after footage of the incident appeared online.
The TV star, 31, was filmed backstage using the term ‘m********s’ while appearing on Strictly Come Dancing.
Although he was expected to soon return to Albert Square following his suspension, producers have chosen to axe him from the show.
A BBC Studios spokesperson said: “We can confirm that Jamie Borthwick will not be returning to EastEnders. We do not comment on individual matters.”
In the clip, Jamie appeared to be backstage when he made the remark, while his co-star Wynne Evans was heard saying ‘Oh my God’ in response.
The Standard has contacted representatives for EastEnders and Jamie Borthwick.
At the time the clip emerged, Jamie made a fulsome apology and said he did not fully understand the meaning of the term he used and was “deeply embarrassed”.
He said: “I want to apologise sincerely and wholeheartedly for the words I used in the video showing my reaction to making it through Blackpool week on Strictly.
“I am deeply sorry for any offence and upset my words and actions have caused. It is no excuse, but I did not fully understand the derogatory term I used and its meaning.”
Amid the furore, the BBC said: “This language is entirely unacceptable and in no way reflects the values or standards we hold and expect at the BBC.
“We have robust processes in place for this.”
In April, Borthwick and Wynne Evans were reprimanded by the BBC over a backstage prank involving a sex toy during the show’s live tour.
A video, reportedly shared in the Strictly performers’ WhatsApp group, shows Borthwick waving the toy backstage at Birmingham’s Utilita Arena.
The EastEnders actor, 30, said it had been gifted to him as a joke by opera singer Wynne Evans, best known for the Go Compare adverts, according to the Sun on Sunday.
Borthwick is seen grinning in the footage, saying: “Look at what he bought me. I opened it up and he surprised me with this, didn’t he. It’s so funny.” The camera then pans to Evans, who is topless and rehearsing with professional dancer Neil Jones, according to The Sun on Sunday.
The video was reportedly recorded on January 18 — just two days after Evans made a sexual remark about dancer Janette Manrara at the Strictly tour’s PR launch on January 16. He stepped down from the tour a week later and his radio show was subsequently axed by the BBC.
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