AJ Pritchard has opened up about the "stress and exhaustion" he is experiencing while on Dancing With The Stars. The 31-year-old's latest challenge comes after former Strictly star Oti Mabuse recently shared her thoughts on his past comments about the BBC dance show.
Oti Mabuse Responds to AJ's Strictly Comments
Oti was responding to AJ's suggestion that Strictly should feature more British professional dancers because it is a British programme. While she said she had no problem with him pursuing his ambitions in America, she suggested the move could be a better fit for him.
"AJ is so controversial, it's so funny," Oti said on TikTok. She went on to suggest that AJ's personality may also have caused friction during his time on the show. "He might've rubbed people up the wrong way with his personality as well. I think we can admit that," she said.
Oti Challenges Idea of British Pros
Oti also pointed to the long list of successful Strictly professionals who have come from outside the UK, challenging the idea that the show's biggest stars have traditionally been British. She continued: "The most popular pros, THE most popular pros have not been British. I'm talking Aljaz, Giovanni, Janette. Even now - Vito, Nikita, Alexis, Katya. 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. So you can imagine that for a lot of people it would have rubbed them up the wrong way."
AJ's Emotional Struggle on The Next Pro
Meanwhile, AJ is now concentrating on his future in America as he competes for an opportunity to become a professional dancer on Dancing With The Stars. But his pursuit of the opportunity has not been without its difficulties. In scenes from reality series The Next Pro, AJ was seen breaking down in tears as fellow competitor Nina Mayster tried to comfort him. Speaking about his emotional state, AJ admitted that the "stress and exhaustion" of the competition had become difficult to handle.
AJ also acknowledged that he could be putting himself under too much pressure because of how much the opportunity means to him. "I put myself under maybe too much pressure. Because I want to show how much this means to me," he told the cameras.
Wedding Plans Affected
AJ went on to open up about the personal sacrifices he has made to pursue his ambitions in America, revealing that his plans have even affected his upcoming wedding. He explained that he has put a huge amount on the line to be part of the competition, including rearranging his wedding plans to allow him to follow the opportunity. The dancer admitted that reflecting on everything he has given up has made the pressure to succeed even greater, as he fears it would be incredibly difficult to walk away without achieving the goal he has sacrificed so much for.
