AJ Pritchard insists he’s got no regrets quitting Strictly Come Dancing
QUITTING Strictly just weeks before the pandemic hit put a break on his ambitious career plans.
But dancer AJ Pritchard has no regrets — and no plans to ever go back
Speaking exclusively to The Sun, the 25-year-old, who made it to the latter stages of the BBC1 series last year with YouTube star Saffron Barker said: “I made a decision and I’m very happy with that decision.
“I felt like coming out on what was a complete high.
“That last year with Saffron was a fantastic year, and if you don’t move forward and keep striving for what is your end goal, you won’t be able to make that jump.
“To wait another year just didn’t feel right for me. I won’t ever go back.”
That “end goal” is now for AJ and his brother Curtis, 24, to become a presenting duo to rival Ant and Dec.
And they are keeping their eyes firmly on that prize — with no distractions.
For dance pro AJ, that meant quitting Strictly.
For Curtis, who was a dancer on the Irish version of Strictly, it meant not looking for another relationship after his split from Maura Higgins.
The pair dated for eight months after meeting on last summer’s Love Island, but split in March after a series of blazing rows and public bust-ups. There were also accusations of cheating.
Speaking about the break-up previously, Curtis said: “It hurt. I wasn’t ready for everyone to know we had split up — I wanted some time.
“It was a shock to see that she had announced it on social media hours later.”
Curtis is now content to remain single for the time being — and insists you will not find him on a dating app any time soon.
He added: “I’m very old-fashioned. I don’t actually like talking to people over a mobile phone or laptop. I’m a very sociable person. I like to be with somebody and talk to them.”
When asked if he had signed up for dating apps such as Tinder, Curtis said: “No.” His older brother, who has been with girlfriend Abbie Quinnen, a fellow dancer, for two years, added: “He’s too lazy for that, honestly.”
AJ was the second big Strictly name to announce their departure this year, after Kevin Clifton quit the show in March.
In his four years there, AJ’s highest finish was fourth with Team GB gymnast Claudia Fragapane in 2016.
However, his most memorable series came the following year with singer Mollie King from The Saturdays, as the pair were rumoured to be getting close away from the dance floor.
TV chiefs are still trying to replace AJ and Kevin for the upcoming series, which is set to go ahead despite the complications from Covid-19.
AJ is backing plans for the show to return, but admits there will obviously be draw-backs.
He says: “There are things you can do to still work with social distancing, whether that be dances like the Charleston or jive.
“You can create routines where you don’t have to be close together. I think the professional group numbers are the one thing that could fall short this year. Usually the professionals learn them as a group.”
And he joked: “You could replay all the numbers from the past few years — and then I’ll be back on the TV.”
In recent months, AJ and Curtis have got a taste of their dream jobs as a presenting duo with an appearance on the BBC’s Big Night In charity appeal for those affected by coronavirus.
But their ultimate aim is to bag a prime-time Saturday night variety show, such as Britain’s Got Talent, which AJ appeared on as a contestant in 2013 with dance partner Chloe Hewitt.
AJ said: “Our aim is to get roles on big shiny floor TV shows and to become a household name as presenters.
“We want to definitely get our own shows commissioned and be like Ant and Dec.
‘WE WANT TO BE LIKE ANT & DEC’
“My first TV appearance was on Britain’s Got Talent. Doing some presenting on a variety show like that would be an absolute dream for me.”
The boys were tight-lipped on whether they had been in any meetings to discuss their own series yet, but did confirm nothing had been commissioned.
Curtis added: “We would absolutely love to be presenters.
“BGT is a prestigious and incredible show so hosting something like that would be a bit of a dream come true.”
But with both boys suffering from dyslexia, reading autocues on live shows can be extremely difficult.
Instead, they have to learn their lines ahead of time.
AJ said: “Reading the full text and learning lines can be difficult with dyslexia.
“We do work that bit harder, but I think that TV producers see that and adapt to work with us.”
‘I NEVER WANTED TO BE LABELLED DYSLEXIC’
The boys, who this month became ambassadors for the British Dyslexia Association, credit their dyslexia with making them creative people and for steering them towards dancing.
But they were not always pleased with being a bit different. Curtis said: “I never wanted to be labelled dyslexic for a couple of reasons.
“I was scared of it and I thought it was a bad thing — that I’ve got a problem or something, when in reality I couldn’t have been more wrong because it moulded me into the person I am today.
“And really it’s actually made me more creative and expressive and more knowledgeable.” With their creativity and upbeat attitude, all the brothers need now is for the TV industry to come back to full strength after lockdown.
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And they are confident it will.
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AJ said: “We’re both in the same mindset to move forward with that career.
“But the entertainment side will bounce back because people need to be entertained and want to have fun.”
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