AJ PRITCHARD
Strictly’s golden boy is part of a new generation refusing to label themselves.
Strictly Come Dancing’s golden boy on why he refuses to label himself, and the power of same-sex dance routines in the ballroom.
After years of discussion, many headlines written, and plenty of social media commentary, last year saw BBC One’s Saturday night entertainment behemoth Strictly Come Dancing finally do it. What started out as a regular display of mixed-sex couples delivering a crisply-choreographed Latin number to Imagine Dragons’ dramatic rock anthem Believer became, within moments, a little piece of television history. Viewers were suddenly bearing witness to the show’s first ever same-sex pairings.
On a podium rising above the dancefloor, Gorka Marquez was embroiled in a powerful routine with Strictly golden boy-next-door and this month’s Gay Times cover star, AJ Pritchard.
“I think coming from that routine, the audience reaction was definitely one hundred percent positive and I think that shows, not how far everyone has come, but rather how open minded people are,” AJ tells us in an East London studio. “It was great – why wouldn’t it be great? Why would people even think that it wouldn’t be good in the first place? I think that was the greatest response for me. Positive energy.”
Despite having numerous openly gay and lesbian celebrity contestants over the show’s 16 series, the BBC has so far resisted pairing them with a same-sex partner. One might assume that decision has been taken to protect them from a potentially negative backlash. But following this same-sex spectacle last year, fears of that resistance from the viewers have been well and truly squashed.
“There was not even one negative thought from the pros, from the audience, from everybody that was in production,” says AJ. “And I think that is what is really so good about a platform that is so powerful, that is Strictly, to have 12 million viewers every Saturday – which is unbelievable and it seems to be growing and growing from year to year – and to be using the platform in such a positive way.”
That’s not to say they were expecting the response they got, however. “I don’t think we could have anticipated the reaction that it got on the show because it was overwhelming,” says AJ. “I think for the professionals as well, speaking on our terms it was one of the most powerful numbers. The music was so strong, and the fact that you have the males dancing together and the females dancing together, it was really one of those dances where you could express yourself even more. And then we didn’t really think about the response that we would get on the social side, because you don’t ever really think about that – especially initially. But the response was overwhelming to see that it kind of made such an impact to so many people for so many different reasons.”
Before we can even ask the question AJ has most likely been asked countless times since first appearing as a pro on the show back in 2016, he gives us the answer: “I know that everyone always asks when do you think it will happen, the same-sex couple on Strictly? And to be honest I don’t know when it will happen. I think when it does happen, it will happen for the right reason and I think it will be represented great because Strictly always do that through the BBC. I think that it will be embraced, that is for sure.”
AJ – which is short for Alex Joseph – first appeared on Strictly as a pro aged just 21. He began dancing nine years earlier, being paired with Chloe Hewitt from his dance school, and the pair went on to win numerous National Youth Latin Championships titles, as well as becoming British Open Youth Latin Champions and the European Youth Latin Champions. Those of you with good memories will also know that he auditioned as part of the pair on Britain’s Got Talent in 2013, storming the audition stage with a performance to Cher’s Burlesque and eventually making it to the live semi-finals. Throughout his teens he made a name for himself within the ballroom and Latin dance community, eventually catching the eye of the BBC, eager to pitch him as the Strictly heartthrob who would appeal to a younger demographic.
“I think within myself I feel I get more of a younger audience and that is what Strictly portray me as on the show, which is great to know that they bestowed that – not pressure – but that kinda, ‘You’re representing that younger generation,’” AJ agrees. “It keeps me on my toes and means I always have to stay ahead of the times.”
Part of that responsibility, he recognises, includes helping change perceptions of underrepresented communities, using his platform to educate a mass audience. “I think there were two things this year,” he says, referring to the series of Strictly just gone. “There was me having Paralympian Laura Steadman who competed with a disability and changed people’s opinions of that, much in the same way the Believer routine changed people’s opinions about something that people may have been set in their ways about. ‘It is ballroom dancing so it is male and female.’ Which is traditionally one hundred percent where it came from. But now we see same-sex couples dancing competitively and it is so empowering to watch. Honestly, they are unbelievable. You should see the competitions – it is out of this world. And we don’t always see that on TV, but I think it will happen.”
It’s a belief and passion of AJ’s that he is carrying through to his own headline tour of the UK. Starting in March, Get On The Floor! Live will take the very best of what people love about Strictly, but with more of a modern twist. “You’re seeing more of a commercial element,” AJ explains. “You’re seeing the contemporary, the street dance – there’s kind of no limits. And for me being able to choose the music, being able to choose the choreographers – because on Strictly you obviously have to do certain things to highlight your celebrity partner to get them to the best of their ability – but with this there is kind of no holding back. There is just go go go, which is a nice feeling.”
AJ has also promised fans more same-sex routines for his own tour, acknowledging that it comes down to himself to make these creative decisions to enlighten audiences to the beauty of having a man dance with a man, or a woman with a woman.
“I think for me, whether it be male dancers or female dancers, whatever it is, the empowerment, and movement to music is so much more powerful – especially when you see two guys dancing together, that strength that can be created,” he says. “That can’t always be created when it is a male and female dance through the traditional styles of a waltz – it can be very calming. Whereas when you want to portray a stronger story having two guys together hitting it to the music, for me, it is one of the strongest things that you can see.”
AJ’s outlook is refreshing and indicative of a new generation coming through who acknowledge tradition, but also want to bring society up to date with a more inclusive sensibility. For someone who has supposedly been romantically linked to every single lady he is spotted with if you believe the tabloids, he has a refreshingly open approach when it comes to who he’d potentially date.
Our current campaign, Generation Gay Times, was inspired by the statistic that 57% of young people don’t identify as exclusively straight. The research – conducted by Ditch The Label and which focused on 13 to 26 year olds – isn’t claiming that all of those people are secretly LGBTQ, rather it’s a reflection of a new ideology that we shouldn’t have to define ourselves. That’s something AJ says he identifies with. “For me, it has always been about being happy in that time,” he says. “You never know how times will change in where you are in your life. But it is always about being happy and being true to yourself.” He pauses. “Like always following your heart – obviously listen to your brain – but really just at that time in your life.”
This more fluid view of sexuality is empowering people to not be limited by the weight of societal norms. “I think that it is mad that everything always has to have a label – whether it be the clothes by designers, or whether you are in a relationship or not,” AJ says. “Everybody always wants to have that label when it is not always necessary.”
When we su£est that the conversation around sexual fluidity – not having to limit yourself as one thing or the other and make a big deal out of it – needs to be normalised, AJ agrees wholeheartedly. “That is the best thing you could have said. It doesn’t need to be a thing. What’s wrong with talking about it as something simple? I think in the past it has always been like, ‘We’re going to talk about this now.’ Well just talk about it normally – you don’t need to make it about ‘a this’ or ‘a that’.”
‘A this’ or ‘a that’ usually stems from people’s assumptions of your personal experiences. There’s a generation coming through now that aren’t willing to accept that those moments should be used to define you. “That is exactly what I was trying to say – at that time of your life, whatever you are, or wherever you are, things always change and you can’t ever say never, because you don’t know what is around the corner, and you don’t know what is going to happen tomorrow.
“As long as you’re happy, I think that is the main thing. It’s something people forget way too often these days getting so stressed thinking about what other people’s opinions are or what they need to do tomorrow.”
It’s a shift in attitudes towards sexuality that AJ says he has also recognised amongst his friends. “I think so – especially within my industry of being in the TV and entertainment side,” he says. “We are very lucky that we can be who we want to be, where sometimes people in their background may question or be scared to wear something. I will wear a bright pink hoodie because I enjoy that. And in this day and age, I think it is fantastic that anyone can do what they want and not have to worry about being judged by anyone because they know that there is a community there to help them if they feel like they’re being bullied, or are not happy in the way that they are.”
When conversation shifts to AJ’s sea of admirers – both male and female – he laughs when we ask him how he deals with all of that attention. “I am always respectful and polite the same way that if someone stopped me on the street asked me what time it was I would probably tell them the time. If someone stops me and asks, ‘Can I have a photo with you?’ I will give you my time.” However, when you’re on a schedule as hectic as AJ’s, understandably there are moments when you just want to slip by unnoticed. “Sometimes you just need your own space,” he says. “So on tour, I am not going to lie, most of the times I would go out in front of the hotel and I would try come a bit earlier to actually meet everybody and say hello. But there were one or two days where I was just not feeling so well and I needed to get there because I was running a bit late, so I would slip outside the hotel so I didn’t have to see everybody. Sunglasses on. I felt kinda guilty – it was weird.” And yes, that aforementioned bright pink hoodie usually gives him away anyway. “I get spotted quite a bit.”
It comes as little surprise that as Strictly continues to become a cultural phenomenon, public interest in its professional stars have started to rival the celebrity contestants, and among the male dancers, AJ is at the forefront of that media attention. “I think that is the change over the past one or two years that I have done the show – they want to know more about the professionals that are celebrates within their own right,” AJ says. “They know us from every single year, they see us, they know what to expect and what not to expect. But for me I am very proud to represent younger people on the show and I am proud to say that I use my fame to help give back because it is always about giving back to me that is one of the bi£est things.” He admits that he’s currently waiting for the call “any day now” to discuss if he’ll be back on Strictly for a fourth year. And along with his debut headline tour, he teases he has some very special television projects in the pipeline too. “There are one or two big TV things that have not been confirmed yet unfortunately,” he says. “But I would like them to get confirmed... which would be incredible. So that will be before Strictly – that will be in the summertime.”
When we try and pry to see if there are any acting plans, his answer is coy. “I think the great thing is at the moment there are so many opportunities, which is nice,” he smiles. “But I will always keep working on my acting and singing.” It seems for this Strictly golden boy, the future is brighter than that pink hoodie of his.
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When you want to portray a stronger story having two guys together hitting it to the music, for me, it is one of the strongest things that you
can see.
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