SAFFRON BARKER SAYS SHE AND Strictly Come Dancing PARTNER AJ PRITCHARD WILL ALWAYS BE FRIENDS
‘STRICTLY’ STAR SAFFRON BARKER AND AJ PRITCHARD TELL OK! WHY THEY’LL BE FRIENDS FOR LIFE… BUT NO MORE
The Strictly Come Dancing judges have used many superlatives to describe Saffron Barker and her dance partner AJ Pritchard – ‘beautiful’, ‘brilliant’ and ‘spectacular’ to name just three. So when OK! was invited to watch them in action at The Circle Studios in Brighton, and chat to the social media star afterwards, we jumped at the chance.
They’re known to rehearse for up to 12 hours a day and during a quick breather, an exhausted but clearly exhilarated Saffron told OK! that AJ never takes it easy on her, admitting: ‘He’s a strict teacher but we still have our laughs.’
She adds: ‘We’ve become such good friends. In fact, we’ll be friends for life. I feel very thankful to AJ – I wouldn’t be here without him.’ This week has been a particularly busy one for Saffron as, in addition to all the dancing, she became an aunt for the second time when her brother Casey and his girlfriend Nicole welcomed a baby boy.
Baby Lake has clearly stolen his Aunty Saffron’s heart although the Youtube star says her gruelling Strictly rehearsal schedule means she hasn’t actually seen much of him yet.
‘My beautiful nephew Lake. He’s so sweet. I’ve only managed to see him once because I don’t have much free time,’ Saffron told us.
‘I literally saw him for 20 minutes. I remember holding him and I was in tears because I was so emotional, and then five minutes later I fell asleep with him on my lap. I was so exhausted from the dancing.’
Their killer routines have seen Saffron and AJ become one of the standout couples of the BBC show, topping the leader board in week five with their Foxtrot.
The single 19 year old believes she and AJ complement each other perfectly.
‘When we’re training we bring out the best in each other,’ Saffron says.
‘We balance each other out. What I like most about him is he breaks down the steps. At first he was always talking in dance terms and now he’s learned to realise I don’t have a clue what dance terms are!
‘But overall he’s just really positive and very happy, and you need that, especially when you’re getting frustrated by a dance and you can’t get something right. AJ’S positive mindset always gets me through.’
They even rehearsed on AJ’S 25th birthday last week, Saffron surprising him with a balloon and cake.
Saffron credits AJ, who’s currently happily dating dancer Abbie Quinnen, with giving her self-esteem a boost and says the experience has changed her life.
‘More than anything it’s definitely made me more confident. I’ve taken so much from this,’ she tells OK!
‘I’d never really done dance before so the first few times I almost felt embarrassed and insecure, but now I feel confident and like I can enjoy the dance. I’ve fallen in love with dance.’
Saffron, who still lives at home with her mum and dad in Brighton, says she’s also really close to fellow contestants Karim Zeroual and Mike Bushell, revealing: ‘We’re always laughing and we hang out in the hotel together before and after we dance.
She tells OK! she was concerned about the hatred Mike received after Catherine Tyldesley was voted off instead of him in week six. ‘I don’t think anyone deserves to get death threats. The judges know what they’re doing and he has improved so much over the weeks. To see him get that sort of hate online is awful,’ she says.
Making it to the Blackpool Tower Ballroom would be a dream come true for Saffron. ‘If I danced at Blackpool it would mean the absolute world to me,’ she admits. ‘Not only would my family cry, I would and AJ would too because it means so much to him. He’s always spoken so highly about it and told me every great dancer has danced at Blackpool Tower.’
Her ambitions don’t stop there either. ‘The reason I wanted to do this show so badly was not only because I love watching Strictly, but because I’ve always dreamed of performing, so being in a West End show would be a dream.’ A dream that will surely become a reality!
‘I’VE ALWAYS DREAMED OF BEING IN A WEST END SHOW’