EastEnders fans ‘had no idea’ Jay Brown actor Jamie Borthwick is related to a co-star – and it turns out he didn’t know as well.
Jamie shot to fame playing Jay on the BBC One soap – making his debut in 2006. And it didn’t take him long to become one of the show’s most beloved and iconic characters.
He’s also played a part in several big storylines too. From shock affairs and drug abuse to helping cover up a murder and discovering the truth about his past, his time in Walford has not been short of drama.
Jay’s also been dealing with the recent loss of wife Lola (Danielle Harold). The soap favourite tragically died in 2023 from a brain tumour.
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In real-life though, fans have been left floored after discovering Jamie has a famous cousin who is his co-star. What’s more, it turns out even Jamie had no idea they were related.
In 2021, Jamie spoke about finding out he is related to his co-star Charlie Winter – and only found out once Charlie had joined the BBC soap’s cast.
He said: “My great uncle is called Charlie Winter, so when they said there was a kid coming in called Charlie Winter, I was like, ‘Seriously?’
Jamie then went and did a bit of digging and made the discovery that his hunch had been correct. He said: “Turns out we are second cousins.”
Charlie joined EastEnders 2018 as Mel Owen’s (Tamzin Outhwaite) son Hunter. However, he was killed off a year later after shooting Ben Mitchell (Max Bowden) in the Queen Vic.
Reacting to Jamie and Charlie being related one person said on an EastEnders Facebook fan page: “I wouldn’t have guessed they were related tbh.”
A second person penned: “No way, I remember the other lad from EastEnders.” A third also wrote: “Quite cool to be fair.”
