Strictly’s James Bye tears up as he reveals he was ‘struggling with work’ before being on EastEnders

Strictly’s James Bye got emotional after his performance on Saturday night after revealing that he was ‘struggling with work’ before being cast on EastEnders.

Following his Foxtrot to the EastEnders Theme Tune on Saturday night, the 38-year-old actor got emotional as he reflected on his career.

He stood beside pro partner Amy Dowden as he told Claudia Winkleman, reflecting on the 100 years of the BBC-themed dance, how important his time on the soap has been.

Reflecting: James started in Albert Square as Martin Fowler (pictured) in October 2014 and has been a prominent face on the hit BBC One soap

‘I was scaffolding, I was going a bit of everything really to put food on the table then EastEnders came along and I was so proud, that’s all down to EastEnders really.

‘It means the world honestly to represent my family over there.’

‘Before the BBC gave me a contract I was struggling with work, I have family and kids and to represent you tonight. I put a lot of pressure on myself.’

James started in Albert Square as Martin Fowler in October 2014 and has been a prominent face on the hit BBC One soap.

Home turf: In his VT ahead of the performance, the family man stood in the pub looking back on his time in the London filming location

Giving his all: They danced outside a recreated The Queen Vic pub, where his character Martin frequents on a regular basis

He wore a quirky velvet leopard print black tuxedo on top of a black shirt while Amy donned an off-the-shoulder orange floral ballgown.

They danced outside a recreated The Queen Vic pub, where his character Martin frequents on a regular basis.

In his VT ahead of the performance, the family man stood in the pub looking back on his time in the London filming location. 

This week’s epic tribute saw the couples will take to the floor to show off their moves as they dance along to iconic songs, including the theme tunes of Doctor Who, Casualty, EastEnders and Line Of Duty.

Recreation: 

The show kicked off with a group number by the Strictly professionals and judges banding together to perform to some of the biggest BBC flagship shows.

For the first time ever, the couples have been performing to a well-recognised BBC theme tune in tribute to the BBC’s impressive milestone. 

Tyler West and Dianne Buswell took to the floor to perform a tango to the upbeat and quirky theme tune of Doctor Who, titled Segun Akinola.

And Will Mellor and Nancy Xu danced along to a Viennese Waltz to the Line Of Duty End Titles, by Carly Paradis.

Dance: He wore a quirky velvet leopard print black tuxedo on top of a black shirt while Amy donned an off-the-shoulder orange floral ballgown

The Casualty theme tune was belted out by the live band as Ellie Taylor Johannes Rabade are due to perform a tango to the track by Ken Freeman.

Helen Skelton also paid tribute to Blue Peter, where she was a presenter from 2008 until 2013, as she and her partner performed a Charleston to the theme tune by Mike Oldfield.

Also performing a Charleston was Jayde Adams and Karen Hauer, but they showed off their moves to the theme tune of BBC Comedy Victoria Wood, titled The Ballad Of Barry and Freda (Let’s Do It).

The well-recognised theme tune of The Apprentice – called Montagues and Capulets by Sergei Prokofiev’s Ballet – was also heard on the Strictly dance floor as Ellie Simmonds and Nikita Kuzmin performed a Paso Doble along to it.

Great show: He stood beside pro partner Amy Dowden as he told Claudia Winkleman, reflecting on the 100 years of the BBC-themed dance, how important his time on the soap is

James’s performance comes after the actor insisted the Strictly Come Dancing curse will not come between him and his wife Victoria.

The curse has been known for drawing celebrities and their professional dance partners close together as they bond during their gruelling training and rehearsal schedules for the show with some becoming official couples by the end of past series.

But former EastEnders actor James, 38, who has played the character of Martin Fowler since 2014, says nothing will come between him and Victoria, with the couple planning to renew their wedding vows having originally married in 2012.

Match: James, who insisted he has ‘got zero dance experience’ before his time on Strictly this year, performs with pro Amy Dowden this series

According to the Mirror, James said: ‘It’s not really come up for us. It’s one of those things attached to the show but being a part of it, I genuinely don’t see any of that.’

He added that it was actually Victoria who encouraged him to say ‘yes’ to the show after he was asked to appear.

James added: ‘I’m a massive family man, and both Victoria and I pride ourselves on putting our family first at all times so before I even contemplated it I wanted to speak to her first.’

The screen star said the couple discussed the possibility for a couple of weeks before making a decision, with James saying he wanted to make sure everything was in place so his family was provided for before he committed to the show. 

Loved-up: James Bye, 38, insists the Strictly Come Dancing curse will not come between him and his wife Victoria

Source: | Dailymail.co.uk