First Strictly lost Kevin... now AJ’s waltzing away too!
TO lose one beloved dancer is unfortunate... but losing two looks like carelessness.
Strictly Come Dancing’s AJ Pritchard revealed yesterday that he is quitting the show, less than a month after Kevin Clifton announced he was moving on ‘to focus on other areas of my life and career’.
Pritchard, 25, now hopes to pursue a career in TV presenting alongside his brother Curtis, who found fame on reality show Love Island.
The youngest-ever professional dancer to appear on Strictly, Pritchard leaves after four years having reached three semi-finals.
Revealing his departure on Instagram, a statement from his management read: ‘AJ has decided the time is right to leave the show and follow his dreams to explore opportunities in the presenting world alongside his brother Curtis.
‘AJ would like to thank the team at Strictly and everyone at the BBC for giving him such a brilliant opportunity.’
His shock departure comes two weeks after the BBC revealed this year’s cast of professional dancers – which included Pritchard.
The show has already lost Clifton, 37, a fan favourite and former champion who is now dating his 2018 Strictly partner Stacey Dooley, 33.
The BBC said in a statement yesterday: ‘We would like to thank AJ for four fantastic years on Strictly Come Dancing.
He is a brilliant dancer [and] will be missed by fans and the Strictly family. We wish him all the best for the future.’
YouTube celebrity Saffron Barker, 19, who came sixth in last year’s competition, wrote online: ‘Can’t believe I was your last ever partner. Go smash whatever you do!’
Speaking to the Irish Mail on Sunday earlier this month, Pritchard revealed that he and his brother Curtis, 24 – formerly of RTÉ’s Dancing With The Stars – hope to become the next Ant and Dec. ‘We want to be presenters and host a shiny Saturday night TV show as a duo,’ he said. The siblings hit the headlines in 2018 after being beaten up by a gang of thugs in a nightclub. AJ received bruising to his face, arms, body and legs, while Curtis had to undergo an emergency operation on his knee. A 21-yearold man was charged with assault but the case was eventually dropped ten months later.