AJ Pritchard looked in fantastic spirits as he was reunited with his Strictly Come Dancing partner Lauren Steadman on Friday morning. The pro dancer surprised the Paralympic athlete during her interview with chat show host Lorraine Kelly, when the pair were discussing AJ's recent attack in his home town. "We have spoken, he is OK. Two of them are the loveliest boys – they are a lovely family." Both AJ and his brother Curtis were the victims of an unprovoked attack at a nightclub in Nantwich.
© Photo: RexAJ Pritchard and Lauren Steadman were reunited on Lorraine
"[Curtis] is OK, he has had surgery on his knee," revealed AJ. "The family were just shaken up and he took the full force of it… I'll be thinking twice when someone approaches me now." Detailing the attack which left the pair of them battered and bruised, the pro dancer continued: "It was at my hometown, just ten mins down the road from my house. It's a sad situation but we're both OK now." Curtis - who is a professional dancer on Ireland's Dancing With The Stars - was left unconscious after he threw himself on AJ in a bid to protect him.
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Despite the incident, AJ is looking forward to start training again with Lauren for the Strictly nationwide tour. "You don't know how excited I am to start training again next week. I also have my own tour to look forward to," he said, adding: "There is security on the tour, but Lauren can be my bodyguard. I wouldn't want to get in her way. You should see her in the studio, she is very focused." Heaping praise on her, he said: "It's fantastic to have a partner like Lauren, her motivation." Lauren then remarked: "It was the motivation week after week from the public support [which helped]."
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