EastEnders fans have been left wondering where Jay Brown ( Jamie Borthwick ) has disappeared to, as the character has been noticeably absent in recent weeks. Despite his family, including Phil Mitchell ( Steve McFadden ), dealing with a mental health crisis, Jay has not appeared on screen. Viewers were particularly confused when Jay was missing from scenes involving his stepdaughter Lexi Pearce ( Isabella Brown ), who began questioning the whereabouts of her grandfather, unaware that he was receiving treatment at a mental health unit. Many fans took to Reddit to express their frustration over the character's absence. One wrote: “Anyone else noticed he seems to have just disappeared? I think the last time he was on screen was when he had that conversation with Phil in his house a few weeks back.” Another fan added: “He’s been starved of screen time for absolutely ages now, which irritates me because he’s one of my favourites and Jamie is a fantastic actor.” The reason behind Jay’s absence is simple. The current EastEnders scenes airing were filmed in January, around the time Jamie was busy on a nationwide arena tour with his Strictly Come Dancing co-stars. Jamie had appeared in the previous series of the BBC ballroom show, finishing in seventh place with professional partner Michelle Tsiakkas. The Strictly tour concluded on 9 February, so fans can expect to see Jamie return to EastEnders next month. One fan shared their hope for Jay’s return: “Hopefully he’ll get a good story in the second part of this year once he’s back as I love Jay and have started to miss his presence.” During the Strictly series, rumours began circulating that Jamie had grown close to former Love Island star Tasha Ghouri , who had recently become single. Both took part in the latest season of the BBC dance show, and speculation about their relationship surfaced following Tasha's split from her Love Island boyfriend, Andrew Le Page . Strictly runner-up Tasha announced earlier this year that she and Andrew had ended their two-and-a-half-year relationship, despite previously stating they planned to marry one day. Last month, Jamie addressed the romance rumours, telling the Mirror , "Tasha is my sister." Chatting to us at the The TV Choice Awards 2025 at The London Hilton on Park Lane about what he thinks of the speculation, Jamie said, "I laugh. We both laugh. You guys have provided us with entertainment. Tasha is my sister.” And when asked whether she was definitely in "the sibling zone", Jamie replied: "Yes! We’re like siblings.". Rumours that things were heating up between the two escalated after they were spotted heading back to their hotel together following rehearsals for the Strictly Live tour, which started in January. A source claimed after Tasha's split from Andrew, who she met on the 2022 series of Love Island, that while Tasha was "madly in love with Andrew" prior to her joining Strictly, cracks soon began to show. Like this story? For more of the latest showbiz news and gossip, follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok , Snapchat , Instagram , Twitter , Facebook , YouTube and Threads .