Former Strictly Come Dancing star Oti Mabuse has responded to the controversial comments made by fellow ex-pro dancer AJ Pritchard, made before his attempt to join Dancing With The Stars08:04, 21 Jul 2026Updated 08:04, 21 Jul 2026Oti Mabuse has responded to the news that "controversial" ex-Strictly Come Dancing pro AJ Pritchard is auditioning for the US version, Dancing With The Stars, by saying he "might be more palatable" in America.‌After leaving Strictly, Pritchard became a divisive figure last year when he said that he felt the show needed more dancers from the UK on the show, since it takes place in this country. Despite this, the British dancer has flown to the US to take part in a reality TV show, Dancing With The Stars: The Next Pro, in the hopes that he will be able to be a pro-dancer on the American show.‌‌Some fans had asked Mabuse about this on TikTok. She responded, saying that she has nothing against him pursuing his goals, and arguing that America might be a better fit for his personality.The South African dancer said: "AJ is so controversial, it's so funny. I think AJ has said a lot of things about Strictly as a brand, and, I don't know how to word this. He might've rubbed people up the wrong way with his personality as well. I think we can admit that. Like him coming out in public and saying he wants British dancers on a British show, because Strictly is British..."Mabuse, stopped to point at herself with an unimpressed expression. "The most popular pros, THE most popular pros have not been British," she continued. "I'm talking Aljaz, Giovanni, Janette. Even now - Vito, Nikita, Alexis, Katya. Even back in the day - we're going Vincent Simone, we're going Ola Jordan, we're going Kristina Rihanoff, we're going Natalie Lowe.‌"Those are the legends and they're not British. So you can imagine that for a lot of people it would have rubbed them up the wrong way."She added that Strictly is a "global" brand and that this allows them to do more things. Her examples included that the pros could do African dance routine or Spanish numbers without it being "cultural appropriation", stating that it the "global mixture" that makes the show "beautiful and special".‌"And so he's gone off and left the biggest brand and been really horrible about it," Mabuse continued. "And that might rub people up the wrong way."Addressing his new show, she said: "Do I think he should have gone for the American one? Yeah, maybe that one might work out better for him, maybe his personality is a bit more palatable there. I don't think we should feel a certain way about people trying to reach their dreams. I don't think we should be offended by it."‌Mabuse pointed out that plenty of Strictly pros have been on other shows before, as the fan she was responding to had suggested that Pritchard should have come back to Strictly if he wanted to dance again. She highlighted that both she and her sister Motsi Mabuse did the German version of Dancing With The Stars, whilst judge Craig Revel Horwood had been on the Australian one. "We're freelancers," she finished. "We need to work. You don't work, you don't eat."Pritchard's time on Dancing With The Stars: The Next Pro, which sees multiple professional dancers compete to join the main show, got off to a rocky start. Strictly's head judge Shirley Ballas was on the judging panel and said she wanted him to take more risks, adding that she never wanted to "get the feeling from you that you're playing it safe".The Mirror reached out to Pritchard's representatives for comment.Article continues belowLike this story? For more of the latest showbiz news and gossip, follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Threads.