On Wednesday, Strictly Come Dancing star AJ Pritchard bravely appeared on This Morning alongside his younger brother Curtis to reveal the horrific details of their attack. And during the interview, hosts Eamonn Holmes and Ruth Langsford revealed that AJ's dance partner Lauren Steadman had recorded a surprise message for him and Curtis to wish them a speedy recovery. Chatting from her car, Lauren said: "Hi guys, I know you have been through a really rough time but everybody is behind you, you two are so strong. Let's move forward, 2019, you are both amazing and everybody is behind you. See you soon."
Strictly's AJ Pritchard was surprised by a sweet message from Lauren Steadman on This Morning
During their appearance, Curtis said that he believed it was jealousy that had led to their attack. He said: "I can only say perhaps it was jealousy, because AJ was doing a couple of photos with people. He's a good looking lad. I was the one getting asked to take the photos, which is fine." AJ added: "If someone comes up to me and asks me for a photo, if they do it politely, I'm always going to say yes." Speaking of his sadness about the attack, AJ said: "The really sad thing in this scenario was that we were just out to have a good time, and it came from nowhere. There was none of us in the first place causing a hassle or anything, we were not there for that scenario, that's what is really sad for us."
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AJ and his brother Curtis bravely spoke about their attack
AJ and his brother Curtis were targeted by a group of eight men during a night out in Cheshire just after Christmas. The brave brothers later spoke out about the horrific ordeal, where AJ revealed that his brother had saved his life by stepping in and trying to stop the men that were tackling him. "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 told The Sun. "He tried to protect me and in doing so saved my life and my legs from danger."
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However, on This Morning, Curtis - who was forced to withdraw from Ireland's Dancing with the Stars - revealed that he had an operation on his knee and that if everything goes well, he will be walking again in three weeks, and can start dancing again in four to five weeks. AJ said: "The main thing is you've had your surgery. The NHS were amazing, so helpful." The protective big brother added: "Now it's about getting you back fit and healthy."
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