Strictly Come Dancing contestant Jaime Winstone has admitted the BBC show leaves her feeling "shaky" with a "new level" of nerves, after surviving her second dance-off to reach week six.
The actress, known for roles in Bullet Boy, Mad Dogs, Love, Rosie and the BBC biopic Babs, is partnered with professional dancer Carlos Gu on the current series.
Second Dance-Off Survival
Jaime and Carlos Gu finished in the bottom two after the public vote, despite scoring 25 for their foxtrot to Man I Need by Olivia Dean on Saturday's episode. They went head to head with former Manchester City player Shaun Wright-Phillips and Alexis Warr, with Jaime keeping her place in the competition ahead of Halloween week.
In an exclusive chat with the Mirror, Jaime admitted the show can feel "gruelling" at times and that she can feel shaky with fear.
Vulnerability on Camera
She said: "Just suddenly allowing myself to be vulnerable on camera with my co-actor, my performer, my partner, my teacher. It's a big thing. You hear your name being called out and it's a new level of fear. Your body reacts differently to the audience, your nervous system takes hold, you're a little bit more shaky."
Comparing the experience to acting, she added: "In acting, you prepare, you rehearse, and then you go and shoot what you think is the finished product. And nobody sees that work before."
She continued: "And also just getting used to being myself on camera and allowing the performance of the dance to tell a story and not over performing, so yeah, really, really challenging for me. I've spent my whole life not looking down the camera and now suddenly I'm like, 'Hello.'"
Still Loving the Sparkle
Despite the nerves, Jaime said she is still enjoying the fun of Strictly, concluding: "I'm really enjoying the challenge as well. What we are here to do is dance and have an amazing time, go as far as I can and enjoy it - and give the audience a great show, that's my comfort zone. I mean, the clothes, and the music, and the glitter are just really big bonuses. I'm having the time of my life, basically!"
