Strictly Come Dancing pro AJ Pritchard refuses to say whether he is gay, bi or straight — because it sells calendars
PRO dancer AJ Pritchard is a huge hit with both men and women – but he is still teasing his fan base by refusing to define his sexuality.
He told The Sun: “I don’t think I should have to define it.
“From the age of 12 when I decided to dance in high school, everyone was saying, ‘Oh, you’re a dancer’, and there was that kind of stigma about it.
“But I try not to think about it. I just live my life — but the support from the gay community is always fantastic.
“It’s really great because they are always the best people to always be around. I love being around gay people, going to gay clubs.
“Obviously in this industry there happens to be more gay people, so it just seems to work perfectly — and it helps with the sales for the calendar.”
A lot of the attention from 24-year-old AJ’s fans seems to come from a fascination with his bum, which got extra exposure when he tried on Lauren’s triathlon suit earlier in the series.
He said: “The hours have gone into my bum so I’m going to take that appreciation. I like to think I’ve got some nice glutes here.
“I enjoy doing the salsa and wiggling my bum, but I think it’s more hidden away this week.”
AJ also prides himself over his six-pack, which he regularly shows off in topless snaps alongside the show’s fellow hunks Giovanni Pernice and Gorka Marquez. He said: “There’s always rivalry with who can get the most ripped, so with the beginning of the tour next year I want to be the most ripped of all.
“When everyone’s getting chubby at Christmas with Quality Street, I’m going to be lean on turkey.”
In the past three years AJ has been linked to each of his celebrity dance partners — Claudia Fragapane, Mollie King and now Lauren.
The show’s former dancer Brendan Cole even claimed he caught AJ getting cosy with Mollie backstage last year. However AJ denies the rumours of his romances with each partner, insisting his sole focus is dancing.
He said: “Me and Mollie were great friends and we will be friends for life.
“We went out for a Sunday roast the other day with other friends.
“With Lauren, we’ll just focus on our dancing and training at the moment.”
Even so, AJ is on the lookout for love and has signed up with dating apps.
He said: “I think I am on Tinder, and I’ll have a look at [dating app] Raya.
“If I fell in love and found someone and we went on a couple of dates, I would go for it. I never try to look for love but sometimes it finds me.”
And he is not afraid of the notorious “Strictly curse”, saying: “It’s not a curse if you’re single, is it?”
Nevertheless, curse or not, AJ saw it hit his co-star Katya Jones earlier in the series as she enjoyed a fling with her celebrity dance partner Seann Walsh.
And he admitted he understands why it happens, given the intimacy of the dances and the amount of time spent training together.
He said: “People are obviously close to each other and you’re dancing together for ten, 12 hours a day and some people react differently. It happens.”
However AJ’s current focus is getting Lauren “the best birthday present ever” — by helping her take home the prized Strictly glitterball.
He said: “Her birthday is on the 18th and the Strictly final is just before, on the 15th. So I’ve got to get her a glitterball for a present.
“Not as a goodbye present but as a great birthday present.”
And given the duo’s huge fan base, the odds seem very much in their favour.