EastEnders star Jamie Borthwick has been suspended by the BBC after using a slur against people with disabilities on the set of Strictly Come Dancing. The offensive remark was made last November during filming for the BBC dance show’s flagship Blackpool week, the Sun on Sunday reported.

EastEnders actor Jamie Borthwick has been suspended from the soap after it emerged he once used an ableist slur while filming Strictly Come Dancing last year. Over the weekend, The Sun On Sunday reported that Jamie – who has played Jay Brown in the BBC series for almost 20 years – had used an “unacceptable” term while filming in Blackpool back in November.

A video emerged of the actor, who plays Jay Brown on the soap, using the term to describe the people of Blackpool, the town where the show was being filmed, The Sun on Sunday first reported