With Jaime Winstone, 41, getting her first look at the Strictly ballroom on Saturday, the competition is about to kick off as she took some time out to attend Primark’s launch
Jaime Winstone was clearly prepping for her Strictly Come Dancing costume changes by helping Primark celebrate the launch of their latest threads.
The actress took time out from Strictly rehearsals to join pals Anais Gallagher and Pete Wicks in London on Monday night.
The high street store put on a lavish VIP dinner, and the 41-year-old used the opportunity to kick back as gruelling daily rehearsals continue. She wasn’t the only one to add a sprinkle of celebrity to the event, with Millie Mackintosh, Tommy Fury and Frankie Bridge also in attendance.
Musicians Josh Cuthbert and Nana Acheampong also smiled for the camera as the stars came out to check out the latest range – and with one current contestant and one former one (Pete competed with Jowita Przystal in 2024) the subject of Strictly won’t have been far from anyone’s lips.
And Jaime already got a huge boost before the competition even begins in earnest this weekend. discovering on Saturday’s launch show that she’s been paired with professional dancer Carlos Gu.
But not only is she coupled up with the reigning champion, who won the previous year’s Glitterball trophy with Karen Carney, she also has some superstar support – as none other than Taylor Swift has praised her moves, both boding very well for her journey towards to the final.
“I went to my friend Poppy Delevingne’s birthday party a few months back, and Taylor Swift was there,” Jaime, 41, says.
“I was just dancing as I do, and she came up to me out of nowhere and just said, ‘Oh my lord, how do you dance so freely?’ When someone of her calibre and status says that, it’s a very clear sign!”
It wasn’t just Taylor who proved instrumental in Jaime’s decision to join the show. She also credits pop queen Madonna, whose recent album Confessions II inspired her.
“There were some clear signs that this should be my Strictly year, one of them being Madonna’s new album and its track, Danceteria, with the lyrics ‘everybody get up and dance’,” Jaime explains.
“I took that as a personal sign, as I’m such a huge Madonna fan. There’s not a room in my house without a disco ball!”
Best known for her work in television and film, Jaime was born in North London and is the daughter of iconic actor Ray Winstone.
She began her acting career in 2004, appearing as Natalie in British crime drama film Bullet Boy.
In 2013, Jaime appeared in the BBC series Mad Dogs, before playing Ruby in the 2024 romantic comedy Love, Rosie. In 2017,
Jaime starred as Barbara Windsor in the BBC biopic, Babs. She also appeared on the third series of the ITV show The Masked Singer as ‘Firework’ in January 2022.
She also counts the likes of Harry Styles and Daisy Lowe amongst her pals, and has grown up in the showbiz world, thanks to her movie star dad.
But it seems like the telly hardman didn’t know what to think after his daughter told him she’d signed up for the biggest show on telly.
“My dad was like, ‘Oh my Lord’,” she added. “But my mum, Elaine, screamed. She absolutely loves it. Everybody’s very, very excited, my mother-in-law the most out of them all, as she’s such a huge fan.
“I think everybody responded like: ‘you’re going to win it!’. The blind confidence of your family and friends is always just so humbling and so beautiful. Oh, and my Nan is going to lose her marbles over it!”
