AJ Pritchard finds it "scary" performing lifts on ‘Strictly Come Dancing’.
The professional dancer occasionally fears pulling off complex manoeuvres with his celebrity partners on the BBC Latin and ballroom show, and he has had to "think differently" about lifts for the latest series while he is partnered alongside Paralympian Lauren Steadman, who was born without a complete right arm.
He said: "For me, when it comes down to the choreography side, obviously I’d go to grab the hand normally and it’s not there.
"When we’re doing lifts and stuff we do have to think differently about how we’d maybe somehow get you on top of my shoulders like we are this week, and throwing you around.
"We’ve got some interesting things coming. But the thing is you just approach everything so positive – Lauren just goes in with a clear mind, there’s no right, there’s no wrong, it’s just, ‘We’ll do it’. You are fearless which definitely helps in the Charleston.
"The lifts are a bit scary. They’re scary for me so that means they must be scary for you up there."
AJ, 23, is feeling the "pressure" ahead of the pair’s Charleston this weekend, and admitted to Lauren live on TV that it is the "hardest routine" he has ever done.
He said: "The pressure is on this week. We’re doing lifts I’ve never done before.
"It’s not an easy routine. It’s the hardest routine I’ve ever done. The lifts are the hardest I’ve ever done and it’s very quick. I feel like I shouldn’t have told her this on live TV."
But 25-year-old Lauren is confident they will be able to pull off the routine.
Speaking in a joint interview on ‘Lorraine’, she added: "It’s going to be great. They feel fine. It’s very sassy and cheeky."
AJ Pritchard’s ‘scary’ Strictly Come Dancing lifts
