EXCLUSIVE: Actress Jaime Winstone has admitted that Strictly Come Dancing has been far more emotionally gruelling than she ever imagined, leaving her shaking with fear as she has nowhere to hide
She’s spent her life performing in front of cameras, but Jaime Winstone has revealed that Strictly Come Dancing has actually left her shaking with fear.
The actress admits she has found the BBC dance contest far more emotionally gruelling than she ever imagined because, for the first time, she has nowhere to hide.
After years of slipping into different characters on screen, Jaime has discovered that being herself in front of millions of viewers is a terrifying experience. And the pressure has left the normally confident star even needing a good weep during rehearsals.
“That’s been one of the struggles,” she admits, in an exclusive chat with the Mirror.
“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.
“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.
“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.’”
Jaime, daughter of Hollywood hard man Ray Winstone, has been acting since she was a teenager, making her name in gritty dramas including Kidulthood and Dead Set.
Partnered with reigning champion pro dancer Carlos Gu, the 32-year-old admits she has sometimes felt completely overwhelmed – not least when she found herself in the dance off in week three.
“It’s been really amazing to know that actually when I am struggling, when it is hard, it’s okay to have a bit of a release and it’s okay to step away and that not be a bad thing.
“Being a female, being an actor, having a moment on set, sometimes it’s not received too well. So you do end up with this mask and it builds up.
“But when you’re doing something physical and with dancing, you have to allow your body to have a little cry.
“You have to allow your body to have an outburst of joy or a moment of energy. So yeah, it’s listening to my body.”
She admits: “It has been more emotional than I thought it would be. Just learning on camera and the ups and downs of the pace of learning something new.
“I’ve had to rewire my body a little bit to say, ‘Right, okay, well, this isn’t a longevity play. This is something that we’re going to do hopefully weekly.’
“So yeah, it’s been amazing, extremely exhausting, and up and down emotionally.”
Thankfully she has her entire family watching her on Saturday, including dad Ray, who was in the audience for the first time as she took on David Bowie for the show’s icons week.
“It felt amazing to have them all there,” she smiles. “It felt like a real moment, for my dad especially, we’ve always listened to Bowie growing up and it was amazing.
“My dad’s super proud. After the show on Saturday he was just like, “You did really good. You performed it. You looked amazing!”
“So I’ve got the support around me that I need.”
Her 34 points made her joint top of the leaderboard at the weekend and took her from zero to hero, after she survived her first dance off the previous week.
She said Carlos, has been a rock as he helps her to navigate the highs and lows of the competition. The pair have struck up a close bond, with Jaime admitting his patience and understanding have been invaluable. “What the pros do is so honourable and incredible, because not only are they dancing, not only are they choreographing to suit you, but they are trying to almost relearn it themselves on your level.
“So the Zen that Carlos must have, it’s been amazing.”
Carlos, meanwhile, insists he is determined to help Jaime embrace every side of herself, including the vulnerability she has found so difficult to show.
“I want her enjoying every single moment,” he explains. “And every single dance she ever dances. I just want her to go out there to deliver the best she can and let people see how fabulous she is, even the vulnerable side of her.”
While Jaime admits Strictly has been a shock to the system, she’s also discovering a new-found confidence.
The star, who is married to DJ James Suckling, says she feels sexier now than she did in her twenties and is embracing the chance to show a different side of herself.
She laughs: “Oh, 100% actually! I’m leaning into that sexiness.
“There’s dancers who look incredible but we’re all different shapes and sizes, we’re all sexy in our own way. Everybody’s beautiful in their own way.
“And I think this is a really nice way to explore that confidence.”
But she’s certainly not finding the dancing easy. She laughs: “I thought I could dance but Strictly really humbles me! I am humbled. I’m a humble woman right now.”
On the plus side, she’s is loving all the exercise. “You’ve just really got to make sure you do eat well, and you really need to stay hydrated, because what you are achieving, you’re not used to.
“I don’t want to lose too much weight where it doesn’t look right on me. I just want to stay healthy and happy, but you just got to stay on top of it.”
“You’re learning a full dance, a full genre of dance in five days. You get to eat as much as you want, but I’ve never really been too body conscious in that respect. I’m in my athlete era, for sure. It’s great.”
Despite the tears, nerves and exhaustion, Jaime insists she wouldn’t change the experience for anything. “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!”
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