Former Strictly Come Dancing star AJ Pritchard has sparked backlash after taking on a new role at GB News, where he presented a segment on shoplifting. The 31-year-old, who recently finished as runner-up on Dancing with the Stars: The Next Pro, flew back to the UK after narrowly missing out on the professional spot to winner Adele Zaikman, having even postponed his wedding to Zara Zoffany to chase the opportunity.
Shoplifting segment draws criticism
During his appearance on The Saturday Five, AJ argued that 'petty crime is not victimless' and has become 'normalised'. Speaking to viewers, 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, every single shop, every single day, and suddenly, it's not so petty at all.'
He went on to cite statistics, noting that 'police recorded more than 507,000 shoplifting offences in England and Wales' in the past year. He then pivoted to discuss prisoners granted early release, asking: 'What's the point in working hard and really wanting to do something good for your business when you know that, unfortunately, these are the consequences?'
Social media reacts
His remarks, which included branding the situation 'outrageous', drew a strong reaction on social media. @EdwardTHardy wrote on X: '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'. @SteveBarry_ commented: 'That DWTS rejection hit so hard his career exited stage left and he entered far right'.
@monicanen wrote: 'AJ Pritchard having no choice to commit to the right wing but to get a check because the British dance scene don't want to touch him with a barge pole'. @thelastmilenial mocked that 'it's hilarious the depths people will sink to for relevancy', while @bluekittens31 asked, 'Is this is a joke ?' @dvdbts branded his hiring 'hilarious' and @CarolAnne62091 said he 'sounds like a robot'.
Mixed praise and criticism
Amid the backlash, @Tyrone2144 offered some praise, saying: 'I think AJ will be OK after some time, at the moment you can see he is trying to keep up with and get used to reading off the teleprompter.' However, the compliments were in the minority, as hundreds condemned the I'm A Celebrity star for joining GB News, a platform widely considered right-wing and previously penalised for breaching impartiality rules.
Criticism also referenced AJ's past support for the LGBTQ+ community, including his 2018 cover of Attitude magazine and his work as a choreographer on RuPaul's Drag Race UK. @hwasassins wrote: 'the right wing grift is disgusting, to think someone who was actively supporting the lgbtq+ community a few years ago would platform themselves on one of the largest hate-fuelled 'news' programmes is just f***ed up to me'. @m_mxrtha blasted his allyship as 'performative'.
Strictly return unlikely
Meanwhile, a return to Strictly appears unlikely, with reports suggesting AJ is 'somewhat isolated from the Strictly circle'. This follows his comments about wanting to see 'more British dancers' on the show, which were criticised by ex-pro Karen Hauer, while Oti Mabuse warned him it'd be 'tough to come back from this'. He also faced conflict with fellow dancer Rylee Arnold, who called his teaching methods 'intense' on The Next Pro.
An insider told The Sun: 'AJ has put a lot of noses out of joint back at Strictly. It's extremely unlikely he will ever be asked to return, and he is not popular in the pro dance community back here.' The source added that there's now a 'question mark' over where AJ goes next, with opportunities reportedly 'drying up'. 'Rebuilding those relationships won't be easy – in fact, it'll be quite impossible.'
