Jaime Winstone returned to the Strictly Come Dancing dance floor this weekend with her professional partner Carlos Gu after being forced to pull out of the show last week due to an abdominal injury sustained during rehearsals.
The 41-year-old actress has survived three dance-offs so far in the competition and will be hoping to avoid a fourth upon her comeback. Carlos Gu lifted the Glitterball trophy with Karen Carney last year.
Former pro on the 'nepo baby' label
Jaime is one of three contestants on the show who qualify for the so-called 'nepo baby' status, alongside Shaun Wright-Phillips and Dani Dyer. The term describes a person who achieves success or gains major career opportunities through familial connections, most commonly as the child of a famous or influential parent in the entertainment industry.
While this may appear to work in their favour at times, former Strictly Come Dancing professional Vincent Simone said it can have the opposite effect on the dance floor. Speaking on behalf of Paddy Power, he said: "I don't think [it gives them an advantage]."
He went on to say it was "lovely" to see Dani's dad Danny Dyer and Jaime's father Ray Winstone in the audience during the earlier stages of the competition.
'Having a famous dad doesn't really help'
"Does it help? No, not really, because I think Dani is quite popular anyway. She's very sweet and a beautiful dancer to watch," he added. "Jaime was just an amazing dancer. She's almost the same type, and she was just too good."
"She [has been] in a dance-off, so that really answers your question. Having a famous dad doesn't really help because, the [first time] she was in the bottom two in the dance-off, she shouldn't have been there."
"I'd say people vote because they want to vote for them. If anything, it adds pressure. If they get saved, people think it's because of their dads. If they get voted out, people say it's because they're not popular. You can't win. They have more pressure than others," he continued.
Jaime's update ahead of return
In an update ahead of the latest episode, Jaime shared details of her health and progress. "Hey guys! We are back," she shared in a video. "It's been a hard week and it's been very frustrating not being able to dance and join everyone else in the ballroom. I wanted to let you know that we are intending to dance."
She added: "We have been given the all-clear under certain rules by the doctors. We've just done our wonderful Charleston with amazing choreographers and Carlos."
In the caption, the actress added that she and her dance partner were "so happy to be back in the rehearsal room", and thanked fans "for the most amazing show of love and support during this scary unknowing time".
