Born in Wythenshawe, Manchester, England. His mother is called Kath. Jamie is the youngest of three brothers (his siblings are John and Jason, who works for a utility company Norweb). Early in life Jamie wanted to be a footballer but turned his attentions to acting at 16. He failed all his GCSE School Examinations, but retook them and then progressed to A-Levels. He could not get to grips with A-Levels so moved to London to become an actor. He had no theatrical training and no CV. At 19 with just two bit parts behind him got the role in Granada Television's drama _"Butterfly Collectors" (1999) (mini)_ .