Oti Mabuse has revealed that former Strictly Come Dancing professional AJ Pritchard “rubbed a lot of people the wrong way” with his comments about wanting British dancers on the BBC show.
Mabuse spent six years on Strictly, including four with Pritchard before his exit in 2019. Since leaving the show, 31-year-old Pritchard has been vocal with his Strictly opinions, saying last year that he wants to see more UK professionals within the currently international cast as he’s “proud to be British”. The returning cast of 2026 features dancers from Australia, Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Slovenia, China, America and Italy as well as the UK.
Now, Mabuse has given her thoughts on Pritchard’s post-Strictly behaviour after being asked how she felt about him competing for a place on US show Dancing with the Stars given his comments last year. He is currently a contestant on Dancing with the Stars: The Next Pro – a reality competition where the winner is given a place in the cast of the American version.
Taking to TikTok on Monday (20 July), Mabuse said: “That guy is so controversial. It’s so funny.
“I think AJ has said a lot of things about Strictly as a brand and – I don’t even know how to word this – he might have rubbed a lot of people the wrong way with his personality. We can admit that as well.
“Him coming out in public and saying that he wants British dancers on a British show because Strictly is Britain,” the South African-born dancer continued, before pointing to herself. “The most popular pros on Strictly have not been British – I’m talking Aljaz [Škorjanec], I’m talking Giovanni [Pernice], I’m talking Janette [Manrara]. Even now Vito [Coppola], Nikita [Kuzmin], Alexis [Warr], Katya [Jones].
“Even back in the day, we’re going Vincent Simone, Ola Jordan, Kristina Rihanoff, Natalie Lowe. Those are the legends and they’re not British so you can imagine that for a lot of people that it would have rubbed them the wrong way.”
She added that Strictly is a global brand and that its international mix of professional dancers is what makes the show “beautiful and special”.
“He’s gone off and left the biggest brand and just been really horrible about it,” she said. “He left and he decided, maybe now I’ve matured and grown and I want another opportunity. Maybe his personality may be a little more palatable there.”
Despite Pritchard having said that he wants more British dancers on the show, Mabuse added that he has every right to try for a spot on the American show – and that many dancers move between versions of Strictly. The Independent has contacted Pritchard for comment.
“I just feel some sort of way about being angry at people for their goals. Do I agree with what he said? No, but I don’t think he should be stopped,” she continued.
It comes after Prichard told The Sun last year that he would “love to see more British dancers” on Strictly.
“We’re in the UK, I’m proud to be British and there are so may fantastic boys and girls out there who would love the opportunity. So regionally, it would support the country,” he said.
Since leaving the show in 2019, Pritchard has competed on I’m A Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here, taken on a widely-panned acting role on Hollyoaks, attempted Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins and appeared as a Strictly pundit on GB News.
Mabuse won Strictly twice during her seven-year tenure on the BBC One show, having previously been a dancer on the German version. She went on to be a judge on The Greatest Dancer, The Masked Dancer UK, Dancing on Ice and a presenter on the short-lived singing-dating show Romeo & Duet.
She is currently a judge on the Irish version of the show, Dancing with the Stars, and is pregnant with her second child.
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