New Strictly pro dancers AJ Pritchard and Chloe Hewitt enter amateur competition… and come second
Two of the Beeb's newest shakers sparked outrage when they competed in a contest for non-professionals
TWO new Strictly dancers sparked outrage when they made it to the finals of a competition for amateurs.
AJ Pritchard and Chloe Hewitt, both 21, were announced last week as among six professionals joining the hit BBC show.
But dance fans were shocked to see them competing in the amateur Latin championship in Bournemouth on Sunday — where they managed second place.
One fumed: “It’s unfair they were allowed to go up against genuine amateurs when they’ve just been given their big break by the Beeb.
"They should be dancing in a professional event."
Another said: “It was a far cry from Strictly. Girls did their own hair and got changed in the public toilets.”
AJ and Chloe took on 50 couples in Dorset with their cha-cha, samba, rumba, paso doble and jive.
The new telly pair danced in five rounds before getting into the final six.
Despite being picked for Strictly last Tuesday they could only come second to current UK and British amateur champions Petar Daskalov and Zia James.
A source insisted no competition rules were broken.