Strictly star Jamie Borthwick and his professional partner Michelle Tsiakkas have been handed a blow by a body language expert ahead of tonight’s second live show (September 28).

Jamie and Michelle – in her first year with a celebrity partner – are due to dance a rumba to Bill Withers’ Ain’t No Sunshine tonight.

A tricky dance for week two and, on top of that, one expert has declared that the connection just isn’t there between the pair. In fact, as a result, they may even end up in the bottom two…

Strictly star Jamie Borthwick is set to dance a rumba tonight (Credit: BBC)
Double whammy of bad news for Strictly star Jamie Borthwick

Body language expert Darren Stanton, speaking on behalf of Betfair Casino, said: “I think Jamie tries to cover his nerves with humour and sarcasm. I don’t feel he and Michelle have a great connection either.

“There’s a bit of bravado there, but that’s part of his nature perhaps as an actor. I do fear he’s not willing to give his all to the process and that affects the relationship dynamic and body language, as well as feeling comfortable doing certain things.

“I don’t think the connection with Michelle is as strong. We aren’t seeing matching and mirroring or tactile moments,” he added of the Strictly couple.

As a result of their perceived lack of connection, Darren reckons Jamie – who previously said his connection with Michelle was “instant” – could end up in the bottom two. This is in spite of Jamie winning the 2023 Christmas special, when he danced with Nancy Xu.

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One expert has struggled to see the ‘connection’ between Jamie and Michelle (Credit: BBC)
Bottom two revealed?

Darren reckons Toyah Willcox and Neil Jones will join Jamie and Michelle in the bottom two.

Speaking about Toyah, Darren added: “Toyah Willcox is one of the weakest in the competition. She came across as this little firecracker, but at the end of the day, no amount of mentoring or determination can change the fact that the competition this year is extremely strong.

“The connection and dynamic is just not there for her and Neil. I think that goes a long way for their overall performance. I don’t see the trust being there for Toyah to just let go. I think she wants to keep control of the situation.

“To be successful in this competition, you have to give yourself over to the process too. But I don’t think she is comfortable doing that just yet.”