Curtis Pritchard says his brother's waltz was one of the BEST he's seen on Strictly

He's explained why

Curtis Pritchard / Saffron Barker and AJ Pritchard
Author: Alex RossPublished 28th Oct 2019
Last updated 11th Nov 2019

After AJ's fantastic waltz on Strictly Come Dancing at the weekend, we just had to know what brother Curtis Pritchard thought of it. Admitting he had some brotherly pride after watching AJ take to the stage, Curtis said, "You know what? I watched AJ's dance and normally I'd be very critical," however, he went to to reveal, although there were a couple of little things, "The waltz was one of the best waltzs I've ever seen on Strictly.

"I was so involved with it and connected with it, it was smooth, it was elegant, and the posture was fantastic from Saffron. On a truly dancing note, I could watch that and actually compliment and comment on the correct dance technique.

Saffron Barker and AJ Pritchard

Curtis went on to comment on Michelle Visage finding herself in the dance-off, admitting that he thinks because she's American she doesn't get as much support as the British dancers. Telling Hits Radio Breakfast, "I've noticed through a lot of competition shows, we tend to vote for the English, and Michelle is American. They just don't get the support that they deserve, because we need to be more loving!"

A few weeks ago we caught up with Strictly Come Dancing judge Craig Revel Horwood and asked him who was the better dancer, Curtis or his brother AJ, so we just had to see what Curtis' reaction was. In the interview, Craig admitted, "It depends if you're going for the taller one, or the shorter cuter one". When pushed to judge on their dancing, Craig said, "AJ all the way!".

However, as a comeback, Curtis told Fleur, Greg and James that he's actually danced with Head Judge, Shirley Ballas, who thinks HE is the better dancer!

Craig Revel Horwood

He explained, "Shirley danced with me and said, 'Wow Curtis, you can lead really well', and actually - I think this was a dig at AJ, because she's danced with AJ - I've finally got to dance with someone who is tall and can lead well."

It was the week where Karim danced 'too hard', Motsi cried, Alfonso did the Apache 'Jump On It' dance, Craig said Emma danced like a "bag of potatoes", AND Emma's partner was caught urinating behind a wheelie bin, so Wes and Sheree wanted to find out what Curtis thought of last weekend.

Curtis agreed it was quite the week, but with the results being leaked once again, pleaded for the leaks to stop, admitting he isn't sure how they're going to stop the leaks happening.

With so much jargon being used by the judges we thought we'd find out exactly what it all means, and Curtis was happy to tell us saying, "Dancing is all about movement to music, so it should be liquid." He went on to say that because of this, it should flow, "Foot to food, arm to arm, and always be constantly moving," unless there is an obvious "stop" which would be highlighted in the music.

This follows last week's chat with Curtis where he admitted the results are leaked every week! In a week that saw Kelvin Fletcher knocked off the top spot.

Earlier in the series, news presenter Kate Silverton accidentally leaked the news that Dev Griffin and Dianne Buswell had been eliminated, and Love Island star Curtis revealed the results actually get leaked online EVERY WEEK!

Curtis said, "This does happen. Right, there is a page that you can go on to find out, I'm not going to give it away for everyone because I don't want it to be spoilt, but it does tend to happen."

Revealing that members of the audience and backstage guests are asked not to leak the news before Sunday night's results show, Curtis added, "We get told when we go into the show to watch, because they know this 'page' that leaks the information is out there, they say, 'Please, please don't tell this page, don't leak it, don't tell anyone'.

"It just spoils the fun for the audience who don't watch it."

Of course, if you watched it, you'll know that it was Dev and Dianne up against Emma Weymouth and Aljaž Skorjanec in the dance-off, much to viewers' shock.

Check out which couples found love on Strictly:

Natasha Kaplinsky and Brendan Cole

On the first ever series of Strictly back in 2001, news reader Natasha Kaplinsky and professional dancer Brendan Cole were paired together.


Despite both being in other relationships at the time, both Natasha and Brendan called off their romances and started dating after the series finished.


Their relationship didn't last long though, and they are now both happily married to other people.

Ali Bastian and Brian Fortuna

It was love at first sight for former Hollyoaks actress Ali Bastian and her Strictly partner Brian Fortuna in 2009.


With the pair both single at the time, Ali and Brian started a relationship, only for it to end the following year.

Joe Calzaghe and Kristina Rihanoff

When boxer Joe Calzaghe appeared on the show in 2009, he announced to the press that his relationship with his partner Jo-Emma Larvin had come to an end, just one week into his Strictly journey.


Joe's professional dance partner Kristina Rihanoff was more than a shoulder to cry on, with the pair starting a romance. They went on to date for four years after show, before announcing their split.

Ben Cohen and Kristina Rihanoff

After her relationship with Joe Calzaghe fell apart, Kristina later met another Strictly contestant, England rugby ace Ben Cohen.


Both Ben and Kristina have denied rumours that Ben was still with his ex-wife Abby Blayney at the time they started dating, with the pair claiming they didn't get together until a year later.


Things are going well however, the pair now share a daughter together called Milena and are in a happy relationship.

Kara Tointon and Artem Chigvintsev

After her split from Joe Swash, actress Kara Tointon appeared on the 2010 series of Strictly and mended her broken heart with a little help from professional dancer Artem Chigvintsev.


Despite this, things didn't work out for the couple.

Rachel Riley and Pasha Kovalev

When Countdown presenter Rachel Riley appeared on Strictly in 2013 she was married to her ex-husband Jamie Gilbert. However, after just 16 months of marriage, the pair announced they were set for divorce in November 2013.


Fast-forward to 2016 and Rachel revealed she was in a relationship with her 2013 Strictly partner Pasha Kovalev... And the pair welcomed a baby in 2019, with another arriving in 2021.

Georgia May Foote and Giovanni Pernice

Georgia May Foote was dating her Coronation Street co-star Sean Ward when she joined the show in 2015. But when rumours circulated that the couple's relationship wasn't going well, they split in December 2015.


Georgia was then spotted getting very cosy with her Strictly partner Giovanni, with the pair enjoying a holiday to Disneyland Paris for New Year.


Despite this, the couple ended their relationship in August 2016.

Dianne Buswell and Joe Sugg

After weeks of rumours, Joe Sugg appeared to confirm his relationship with Strictly Come Dancing partner Dianne Buswell with a photo on Instagram, the caption read, 'I may not have won the glitter ball, but I've won something a million times more special.'


The pair have been loved-up ever since!

Gemma Atkinson and Gorka Marquez

Radio presenter Gemma Atkinson and professional dancer Gorka Marquez were first linked in the 2017 series, and got together whilst on the 2018 annual tour together. They moved in together in December 2018 and welcomed their daughter Mia in summer 2019. The couple then announced their engagement at the start of 2021.


In 2023, Gemma and Gorka then welcomed their second child, a baby boy called Thiago!

Giovanni Pernice and Ashley Roberts

Professional dancer Giovanni Pernice and Pussycat Doll Ashley Roberts were forced to deny they were dating during the 2018 series, but Giovanni confirmed the relationship in January 2019.


However, just one year later in January 2020, Giovanni confirmed the pair had split.

Stacey Dooley and Kevin Clifton

Despite taking a long time to confirm their romance, Stacey and Kevin now seem very happy together, with Kevin announcing back in March 2021 that he'd quit the show.


Despite the couple keeping their relationship more or less private, the couple did confirm in August 2022 that they are expecting their first child together, with Stacey giving birth to baby Minnie in January 2023.

Max George and Maisie Smith

Despite both taking part in the 2020 series of Strictly, The Wanted singer Max George and former EastEnders actress Maisie Smith didn't actually start dating until mid-2022.


After weeks of rumours about a romance, the pair went Instagram official in September 2022, sharing gushy posts about each other. They've since been smitten.

Tyler West and Molly Rainford

Strictly 2022 contestants Tyler West and Molly Rainford confirmed they were dating in March 2023, after growing close during the live tour. The pair confirmed they were dating during a TikTok video, leaving fans buzzing, and they've not looked back!

Strictly Come Dancing returns to our TV screens on Saturday evening.

For great music, brilliant banter and incredible competitions tune into Free Radio on FM, on your digital radio, on your phone, and on your smart speaker across the West Midlands. We give you the biggest hits from the world’s hottest artists. You’ll find new favourites every day and hear the songs you've missed from the last few years.