One ex-Strictly Come Dancing professional has exposed what they really earn on the beloved dance show.
Viewers of the BBC One show will know AJ Pritchard was a fan favourite when he appeared on the programme from 2016 to 2020. At the time, the ballroom expert made history as Strictly’s youngest dancer to be part of the professional line-up.
During his time on the show, the 29-year-old was partnered up with Claudia Fragapane, Mollie King, Lauren Steadman and Saffron Barker before he left the programme. In March 2020, AJ shocked fans when he announced he was leaving the show.
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Taking to social media, he explained that he wanted to “follow his dreams to explore opportunities in the presenting world” alongside his brother Curtis Pritchard. Now four years later, the star has given fans an insight into what he got paid on the programme just weeks before the 20th anniversary is set to take place.
(Image: Press Association Images)
Speaking on the Secure The Insecure podcast, the former ballroom professional told host Johnny Seifert how he felt about his salary. He told listeners: “Our parents [and] friends were like, ‘Oh his first year on Strictly. Well he’s a millionaire straight away’.
“We get paid a favoured nation’s wage. If we work out the hours that we’d work from God knows what to God knows when, it’s not that good when somebody said they think you’re a millionaire. Well, it would take me 25 years to get to that, them sort of numbers.”
The award-winning dancer went on to reflect over his time on the hugely popular show, and even admitted that he felt like a “public servant” at times. AJ added: “On Strictly, I always thought about my job as being a public servant.
(Image: PA)
“[Looking at it] in the aspect of it was to entertain 12million people live on a Saturday and make them forget about all their troubles for 90 seconds. Strictly is great, but it’s not guaranteed. It’s not forever.”
It comes after the ballroom expert revealed he would love to return to the show as a judge if the opportunity came his way. He told the Express earlier this year: “I would love to be a judge, I could get my judging head on.
“I’m always doing different judging jobs around the country. I do love being in that position.” Current judges on the show include Anton Du Beke, Craig Revel Horwood, Shirley Ballas and Motsi Mabuse.
(Image: PA)
During his time on Strictly, he reached the semi-final three times with his celebrity partners but never made it to the final. Despite his near misses, he claimed he received more airtime than he would have if he and his partner had reached the final round.
He explained on the Monday Mile podcast with host Aimee Fuller: “I didn’t make the final, but what I tell myself deep down, which is quite funny, is if you don’t make the final, technically you get more airtime. If you make the final and you come fourth or third you are kicked out, so you don’t get It Takes Two.
“Whereas if you actually make the semi-final, and you get kicked out, you get the whole of It Takes Two on the Monday. They make a fuss of you, then for all the returning celebrities [they go], ‘Here are all the celebrities that had a go and didn’t make the final’.”
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
