EASTENDERS viewers will be treated to real-life footage of Jamie Borthwick and Emma Barton running the London Marathon for the BBC soap.
They will be running in character as Honey Mitchell and Jay Brown for part of a storyline set to air tomorrow (April 22).
The pair will run the 26.2 miles to honour the legacy of brain tumour victim and lover Lola, played by I’m A Celebrity star Danielle Harold.
Lola passed away last year after a battle with brain cancer, with Jay turning to drugs to cope.
She left behind her daughter Lexi ( Isabella Brown) whom she shared with her cousin Ben Mitchell.
At Christmas, Lola left a message asking her family to run in her memory in the upcoming London Marathon.
Since then, Jay and Honey have been training hard for the event.
The EastEnders camera crew will be at the race filming at Cutty Sark (6 miles), Tower Bridge (13 miles) and the start and finish lines.
The scenes will be broadcast in Monday’s (22nd April) episode.
In real life, Jamie and Emma are also running to raise funds for their own choice of charities.
Jamie is supporting Prostate Cancer UK and Emma is raising funds for Children In Need.
Jamie’s cancer pain
Jamie recently revealed his father, Simon was diagnosed with cancer.
He also revealed that his uncle and cousin have been diagnosed in the last two years, but thankfully all three cases were caught early.
Speaking about his own underlying health battles in an interview with The Mirror, he said: “I have terrible health anxiety, I’m a massive hypochondriac. Every day, I wake up and go, ‘What’s wrong with me today?’
“The therapy sessions have really helped me, but I don’t think these things ever fully leave you.”
Thankfully, the surgery for his father went well, and he was given the all-clear.
Due to his father’s health scare with the disease, the actor has a high risk of also being diagnosed.
Following his experience with bouts of prostatitis, Jamie revealed: “I was really worried and had health anxiety kicking in because I thought I had prostate cancer.
“Thankfully, I just had an infection.”
Speaking about the marathon, Jamie said: “I’m so honoured to be taking part in the London Marathon.
“EastEnders is a London show, and as far as I’m aware, we’ve never shown it before on screen so I’m really excited to be a part of it, although I swore I would never run it again after the last time!”
Jamie and Emma ran the London Marathon for real in 2019 on behalf of Dementia Revolution in support of their late co-star Dame Barbara Windsor.
He continued: “I’ll be running for Prostate Cancer UK because both my dad and my uncle have had the disease.
“Thankfully, they’re both cancer-free now and we’re all so grateful of the amazing work Prostate Cancer UK do to support people during their illness.”
EastEnders airs on BBC One with episodes available to stream on BBC iPlayer.