Overview
- BBC Studios issued a brief statement confirming Borthwick’s departure and declined to comment further on individual matters.
- The actor was suspended in June after a leaked clip from Strictly’s Blackpool week showed him using a derogatory term, which the BBC called “entirely unacceptable.”
- Borthwick, 31, publicly apologised at the time, saying he was deeply sorry and had not fully understood the term’s meaning.
- Reports said he had been expected to resume filming this month before being informed in recent days that he would not return, with some outlets suggesting his final EastEnders scenes aired on 19 August.
- Disability charity Scope urged education and reflection following the incident, and coverage also noted a separate backstage reprimand tied to a prank video with fellow contestant Wynne Evans.