AJ Pritchard has "hired a bodyguard" after he and his brother Curtis Pritchard were attacked in a nightclub.
The ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ pro and his fellow dancer sibling were allegedly set upon by a group of up to eight men, leaving Curtis with torn knee cartilage and the pair with several bruises, and it has now been claimed AJ is so "traumatised" by the attack that he’s hired security to make sure he’s safe in public in the future.
A TV source said: "AJ has hired a bodyguard to protect him over the coming weeks. He has been left traumatised by the assault, and while his confidence is growing he feels really nervous about the idea of going out in public.
"He’s worried about a possible revenge attack and wanted to have someone with him for the next month or so to help make him feel safe again."
Both AJ and Curtis have been vocal about the attack, and whilst the pair wanted to speak out to condemn their alleged attackers, AJ is concerned they could now be targeted again.
The source told The Sun newspaper’s Bizarre TV column: "AJ wanted to speak out about everything that happened but knows it could have made him a target again. He’s not taking any chances.
"The pair are keen to make sure the perpetrators are brought to justice and are working with the police to try to identify their attackers on social media.
"They don’t like the idea that these blokes are on the loose and could harm others."
Meanwhile, 24-year-old AJ recently revealed he now fears going out in "larger crowds" after the attack.
He said: "It [the incident] has made me very aware of putting myself in a scenario of larger crowds.
"Obviously I’m doing the ‘Strictly’ tour coming up and I will think twice …
"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."
AJ Pritchard hires bodyguard following nightclub attack
