Former Strictly Come Dancing star AJ Pritchard has sparked a backlash after taking on a new presenting role on GB News. The professional dancer, 31, appeared on the channel's The Saturday Five programme, where he presented a segment about shoplifting and petty crime.
Segment on shoplifting
Opening the segment, Pritchard said: “Okay, so, right. We’re going to kick off with what I think is becoming a real problem. This country has petty crime and it’s starting to feel way too normal.” The segment then cut to footage of Conservative MP Robert Jenrick confronting suspected shoplifters.
Pritchard went on to discuss the impact of shoplifting and cited police figures showing that more than 507,000 shoplifting offences were recorded in England and Wales over the past year. He said: “I think the worrying thing [is] if you live or work in a city, you see it all the time. Somebody walks into a shop, they pick up their meal deal, they fill their pockets with something and they walk out.
“Nobody stops them. Nothing seems to happen. And you might think, ‘It’s only a few pounds; what difference does it really make?’ But think of this: thousands of times, across every single shop, every single day, and suddenly, it’s not so petty at all.”
Social media reaction
A clip of Pritchard’s GB News appearance quickly made its way onto X, where some viewers criticised his performance and questioned his move into broadcasting. One user wrote: “WTF is he doing?” Another referred to Pritchard’s cameo on Hollyoaks, writing: “If you didn’t think anything AJ Pritchard did could be worse than his acting, allow me to introduce you to his segment on GB News.”
A third user joked about his career moves, writing: “Went from Strictly pro…” Some, however, praised Pritchard, including one user who said: “AJ Pritchard did such a great job on GB News today!”
Career background
Pritchard’s new role comes shortly after he returned from the US, where he competed on Dancing with the Stars: The Next Pro. The former Strictly professional had been hoping to secure a place as a professional dancer on the American programme but finished as runner-up to winner Adele Zaikman.
Pritchard rose to fame as a professional dancer on Strictly Come Dancing, appearing on the BBC show from 2016 until 2021. He has since taken on a number of television roles, including appearances on I’m A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! as well as Hollyoaks. Pritchard has been approached for comment by The Standard.
