Strictly's AJ Pritchard opens up about dancing with Paralympian Lauren Steadman
Lauren was born without a complete right arm
The cast of Strictly Come Dancing 2018 are right in the middle of their second week of the show. After the first show last Saturday (22nd Sept), all the Strictly Come Dancing couples all got a free pass to the second week, and the first elimination will take place this weekend.
Although contestant Susannah Constantine has revealed she's not feeling super confident about her chances, Paralympic athlete Lauren Steadman and her partner AJ Pritchard appeared on Lorraine earlier this morning (27th Sept) to reveal that their training is going well.
Lauren, who is the second-ever disabled Strictly contestant after last year's Johnnie Peacock, was born without a complete right arm, and the pair opened up about how it affects their routines.
AJ revealed, "For me, when it comes down to the choreography side, obviously I’d go to grab the hand normally and it’s not there.
"When we’re doing lifts and stuff we do have to think differently about how we’d maybe somehow get you on top of my shoulders like we are this week, and throwing you around. We’ve got some interesting things coming."
Swipe through to see which dances the Strictly pairs are doing this week...
Ashley Roberts and Pasha Kovalev
Ashley and Pasha will dance a Foxtrot to 'Orange Coloured Sky' by Natalie Cole.
Charles Venn and Karen Clifton
Charles and Karen will dance a Viennese Waltz to 'Piano Man' by Billy Joel.
Danny John-Jules and Amy Dowden
Danny and Amy will dance a Quickstep to 'Freedom' by Pharrell Williams.
Faye Tozer and Giovanni Pernice
Faye and Giovanni will perform a Tango to 'Call Me' by Blondie.
Graeme Swann and Oti Mabuse
Graeme and Oti will dance a Waltz to 'The Last Waltz' by Engelbert Humperdinck.
Joe Sugg and Dianne Buswell
Joe and Dianne will perform a Paso Doble to 'Pompeii' by Bastille.
Kate Silverton and Aljaz Skorjanec
Kate and Aljaz will dance an Argentine Tango to 'Assassin's Tango' by John Powell.
Lauren Steadman and AJ Pritchard
Lauren and AJ will dance a Jive to 'Girlfriend' by Avril Lavigne.
Dr Ranj Singh and Janette Manrara
Dr. Ranj and Janette will perform a Samba to 'Freedom 90' by George Michael.
Stacey Dooley and Kevin Clifton
Stacey and Kevin will do a Street and Commercial dance to Alicia Keys' hit song 'Empire State of Mind'.
He added, "But the thing is, you Lauren just approach everything so positive – Lauren just goes in with a clear mind, there’s no right, there’s no wrong, it’s just, ‘We’ll do it’. You are fearless which definitely helps in the Charleston. The lifts are a bit scary. They’re scary for me so that means they must be scary for you up there."
He also added that their routine is an incredibly tough one, saying, "The pressure is on this week. We’re doing lifts I’ve never done before," as Lauren laughed, "That makes me feel good!"
AJ added, "It’s not an easy routine. It’s the hardest routine I’ve ever done. The lifts are the hardest I’ve ever done and it’s very quick. I feel like I shouldn’t have told her this on live TV..." Lauren replied, "It’s going to be great. They feel fine. It’s very sassy and cheeky."