Strictly star Oti Mabuse has called out AJ Pritchard’s ‘controversial’ behaviour but also admitted his American adventure might be more suited to him
Oti Mabuse has hit out at how AJ Pritchard behaved on Strictly – but admits he might be suited better to his new role. The professional dancer, who is the brother of Love Island star Curtis Pritchard, was part of the Strictly Come Dancing family between 2016 and 2019.
But the 31-year-old is said to have “rubbed people up the wrong way” in that time, according to Oti, 35. He is now part of the American version, Dancing With The Stars: The Next Pro – and Oti believes that role could be much better for him.
He previously claimed the BBC show should have hired more British dancers – a comment that didn’t sit well with South African Oti.
Oti, who has won the Glitter Ball twice, said some fellow pros felt AJ’s ‘personality’ was an issue. Replying to a fan online who asked about AJ joining DWTS, she said: “I like this one actually cause it’s asking about AJ. That guy is so controversial.
“It’s so funny, I don’t even know how to word this. And he might have rubbed a lot of people the wrong way with his personality, right?
“‘Like, him coming out in public and saying he wants British dancers on a British show because Strictly is Britain…’
The comment by AJ was made to The Sun previously. He had said: “I think, upsettingly, I would love to see more British dancers on the show. We’re in the UK, I’m proud to be British, and there are so many fantastic boys and girls out there who would love the opportunity.”
But Oti was having none of it, naming the likes of Giovanni Pernice and Aljaz Škorjanec as some of the strongest characters to have appeared on the show. And she continued to reel off non-Briitish talent who have had huge value for the show.
“‘Even now, Vito, Nikita, Alexis, Katya,” she said. “Even back in the day, we’re going Vincent Simone, we’re going Ola Jordan, we’re going Kristina Rihanoff, we’re going Natalie Lowe. Those are the legends. And they’re not British.”
She admitted AJ’s comments “would have rubbed a lot of people the wrong way,” before saying “Strictly is different”.
“We are global. Our professionals are global because that global mixture is what makes us beautiful and is what makes us special.” She said of AJ’s American adventure: “Maybe his personality might be a little bit more palatable there.’
The Stoke-on-Trent-born dancer is hoping to secure a spot on Dancing With The Stars and is currently competing to win The Next Pro competition to secure his spot on the show. Current Dancing With The Stars winner Robert Irwin is hosting The Next Pro, which sees a string of dancers put through their paces. Strictly’s Shirley Ballas sits as head judge on the show, alongside her son Mark Ballas and professional dancer Derek Hough.
But Derek fumed at the start of the contest: “I think you lacked oomph and a little bit of energy, especially with what the music was giving us. So moving forward, think about that, you can’t dance below the music.” Mark added: “AJ technique was good, you’ve done this job before in Strictly, so there’s a little more pressure on you.
“There’s killers on our show. If you are dancing next to someone like Val Chmerkovskiy [who is one of the existing US pros], I want to see you fight for it.”
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