Oti Mabuse reignites AJ Pritchard row as BBC Strictly champ delivers loaded message to ‘scared’ former co-star
The simmering row between former Strictly Come Dancing professionals Oti Mabuse and AJ Pritchard has escalated further, with the two-time Glitterball champion delivering a pointed warning to her ex-colleague about his prospects on Dancing With The Stars: The Next Pro.
Ms Mabuse, 36, took to TikTok to share her brutal assessment of Mr Pritchard’s conduct on the American spin-off series, which sees 12 dancers vying for a spot on the flagship US show.
Mr Pritchard has reached the final of the competition alongside Selena Hamilton and Adele Zaikman, but his journey has been marred by controversy.
The programme is judged by Strictly’s Shirley Ballas and her son Mark, himself a professional on the American series.
AJ Pritchard was a regular member of the Strictly cast
|
PAMs Mabuse’s latest intervention follows an earlier clash in July when she publicly challenged Mr Pritchard’s remarks about the Strictly cast.
Responding to a fan’s question about “the AJ drama,” Ms Mabuse drew a sharp distinction between Mr Pritchard the dancer and Mr Pritchard the individual.
She praised his abilities on the floor as undeniable, calling them “a skill, it’s a talent” and adding: “it is a power of his.”
Yet she painted a more complex picture of his personality, suggesting that beneath his professional exterior lies deep insecurity.
Oti Mabuse starred as a professional dancer on BBC Strictly from 2015 to 2021 | GETTY
“What I’m seeing is… I think he is really scared,” she said.
“Whatever he’s doing and he’s saying is coming from a place of being scared and wanting to be good enough, which essentially means that maybe he doesn’t feel like he’s good enough.”
Ms Mabuse acknowledged Mr Pritchard’s drive was justified but took issue with his approach: “It’s the way he’s pushing, the methods, the communication, the words that he’s choosing to push.”
The 36-year-old also highlighted a cultural divide between British and American dance television, noting that the working environment across the Atlantic differs markedly from what Mr Pritchard would have experienced on Strictly.
Oti Mabuse once again shared her views on former co-star AJ Pritchard
|
GETTY
“If you want to survive and cross over from pond to pond… you’re going to have to learn the work culture of the place and how and what makes the people tick,” she said.
Ms Mabuse also came to the defence of Rylee Arnold, the popular American pro whose partnership with Mr Pritchard during a challenge attracted scrutiny, describing Ms Arnold as “extremely loved” and “underestimated.”
This was not Ms Mabuse’s first public rebuke. Back in July, she took aim at Mr Pritchard’s suggestion that Strictly ought to feature more British dancers, pointing out that the show’s most beloved professionals, including Aljaz Škorjanec, Giovanni Pernice, Janette Manrara, Nikita Kuzmin and Katya Jones, have not been British.
Mr Pritchard has not addressed Ms Mabuse’s remarks publicly, but footage from the show captured him in an emotional moment with fellow contestant Nina Mayster.
Oti Mabuse took to TikTok to answer a question about AJ
|
TIKTOK – OTI MABUSE
He spoke of the toll the competition has taken, saying: “I put myself under maybe too much pressure. Because I want to show how much this means to me.”
The 31-year-old also revealed he had postponed his wedding to take part in Next Pro, having become engaged last July.
“It’s overwhelming when I actually think about the lengths I’ve gone to,” he said. “To not achieve what I’ve given up everything for would just be so disappointing.”
Ms Mabuse, however, offered little sympathy, concluding that recovering from the fallout would prove extremely difficult given that the American show already represented his “second chance.”
Comments are closed.