They may not have made it to the Strictly Come Dancing final, but Lauren Steadman and her professional partner AJ Pritchard are staying good friends.

The pair bowed out of the BBC competition after a stunning semi-final performance, but AJ revealed that being partnered with the Paralympian has had a real impact on his attitude to life.

Speaking exclusively to Digital Spy about what he wants to take in to 2019, he said: "After being with Lauren, just always have a positive outlook on life.

Lauren Steadman and AJ Pritchard on Strictly Come Dancing It Takes Twopinterest
BBC

"Everything is great, I’m fit and healthy. I always feel like January is a hard month because I’ve had an amazing end of year with Strictly so it can be a little bit hard, so I want to take each day as a positive."

But the pair will soon be reunited as they head out on the Strictly Come Dancing live tour.

"I am extremely excited," AJ added. "The best thing about the tour is getting to see the fans who voted for you at home. You never see the people who are watching you when you go from studio to studio.

“Last year, The O2 sold out, Wembley sold out, it's a dream come true to perform. Standing on a stage, me and Lauren dancing in front of 10,000 people, what is not amazing about that? I get so happy just talking about it. I feel like a rock star."

Strictly Come Dancing semi-final: Lauren Steadman and AJ Pritchardpinterest
Guy Levy//BBC

AJ, who recently opened up about why he doesn't like to talk about his private life, added which celebrity he'd like to kiss under the mistletoe.

"I do love a popstar. Probably Ariana Grande," he said. "My perfect Christmas."

The 24-year-old added what he'd like to find in his Christmas stocking today.

"I'm a chocoholic so I just always ask for chocolate when I can get away with eating it," he said.

The Strictly Come Dancing tour, which begins in January, will visit Birmingham, London, Glasgow and more. Tickets are available to purchase here or on Ticketmaster.


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Catherine Earp

News Editor 

Catherine joined Digital Spy as News Editor in 2018, and oversees our team of freelance writers. Prior to that she worked at OK! Online, and has interviewed a slew of celebrities across her career in entertainment news, including Tom Hanks, Cheryl and Noel Fielding. 

Catherine also has specialist knowledge in all things drag, interviewing a huge portion of RuPaul’s Drag Race stars, and getting her own drag makeover for Channel 4’s show Drag SOS

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