Whitchurch's Strictly star AJ Pritchard says brother saved him in nightclub attack
Shropshire Strictly Come Dancing star AJ Pritchard has spoken about how his brother risked his his dance career and saved his own life when the pair were attacked in a nightclub.
AJ Pritchard, 24, from Whitchurch, whose family have a dance studio in the town, suffered bruising to his face, arms, legs and body in the incident, which took place during a night out with friends in Nantwich, Cheshire on December 27.
His brother, Curtis Pritchard, was left unconscious and requires surgery on his knee, and has been forced to pull out of the next series of Dancing With The Stars Ireland.
AJ said: “Curtis risked his own dancing career to save mine as he threw himself in front of the attackers so they couldn’t get to me. He was thinking of both my dancing career with my legs and my TV career with my face.
“He tried to protect me and in doing so saved my life and my legs from danger.”
Investigation
Police in Cheshire said a man in his 20s has been arrested following the incident at the Nakatcha nightclub in Nantwich and has been released under investigation.
AJ, who finished fifth in this year’s Strictly series alongside celebrity partner Lauren Steadman, said the pair were attacked “out of the blue” by eight men on the dancefloor.
Curtis, 22, was shoved to the side before the brothers were “punched and kicked from all angles”.
AJ said the attackers singled out his brother when Curtis tried to shield him from the blows. Curtis said he blacked out after taking at least three punches to the face before being stamped on while on the floor.
Curtis has said that he may not be able to dance again.
He said: "I don’t know what I’ll do if I can’t dance again.
“I just hope that the operation can save me. Something can go wrong on the operating table. There’s a chance my dancing career is over.”
