AJ Pritchard sparks backlash with new TV job as viewers say ‘he’s really bad’

Expand Fresh from his stint in America, AJ Pritchard is still making headlines thanks to a new TV job.

The former Strictly Come Dancing star, 31, recently competed in Dancing with the Stars: The Next Pro, desperately hoping to become a professional on the US programme.

Alas, he narrowly missed out on the gig of a lifetime, finishing as runner-up to winner Adele Zaikman.

So, back to the UK he flew, having even postponed his wedding to Zara Zoffany so he could chase his dreams across the pond.

But AJ isn’t short of screen time, as he’s bagged a new role on none other than GB News… which is generating discussion, to put it mildly.

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AJ presented a segment on shoplifting, arguing last night on The Saturday Five show that ‘petty crime is not victimless’ and has become ‘normalised’.

Speaking to the channel’s 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.’

AJ proceeded to reel off statistics, explaining that ‘police recorded more than 507,000 shoplifting offences in England and Wales’ this past year.

He continued reading off the autocue in a rather monotone manner, later making a sharp pivot to discuss prisoners granted early release as he asked: ‘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?’

Seemingly then giving his own opinion, he argued that ‘this isn’t about someone just stealing a sandwich – it’s about what happens when we allow thousands and thousands of supposedly small crimes to become, well, normal’.

He concluded by branding the situation ‘outrageous’, but as a clip made its way onto social media, it was clear people weren’t entirely hooked by his broadcasting abilities.

Referencing AJ and brother Curtis Pritchard’s infamous Hollyoaks scene – see: How’s Trish? – @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’.

‘That DWTS rejection hit so hard his career exited stage left and he entered far right’, said @SteveBarry_.

‘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’, wrote @monicanen.

@thelastmilenial mocked that ‘it’s hilarious the depths people will sink to for relevancy’, while @bluekittens31 asked, ‘Is this is a joke ?’

@dvdbts branded AJ’s hiring ‘hilarious’ and @CarolAnne62091 said he ‘sounds like a robot’.

Still, amid the backlash, there was a sliver of praise, mainly from @Tyrone2144, who said: ‘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.’

Alas, the compliments were very much the minority response, as hundreds condemned the I’m A Celebrity star for joining GB News, which is widely considered a right-wing platform and has been penalised for breaching impartiality rules.

The channel focuses heavily on debates and opinion-based discussions, with the likes of Nigel Farage and Jacob Rees-Mogg appearing as commentators previously.

Among those leaving feedback, @hwasassins noted that AJ featured on the cover of LGBTQ+ magazine Attitude in 2018 and was once a choreographer on RuPaul’s Drag Race UK.

‘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’, they raged, as @m_mxrtha blasted his allyship as ‘performative’.

So, it seems AJ is off to a rocky start in his broadcasting career.

However, should he wish to return to the Strictly ballroom, that’s looking unlikely, as it was claimed recently that he is ‘somewhat isolated from the Strictly circle’.

This followed his remarks about wanting to see ‘more British dancers’ on Strictly, which were criticised by ex-pro Karen Hauer, while Oti Mabuse also warned him it’d be ‘tough to come back from this’.

Shortly after, AJ was also in the press due to his conflict with fellow ballroom dancer Rylee Arnold, who called his teaching methods ‘intense’ on The Next Pro.

Consequently, it’s believed he’s been ‘facing a secret crisis’ behind closed doors.

‘AJ has put a lot of noses out of joint back at Strictly,’ an insider told The Sun.

‘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.’

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