AJ Pritchard: Strictly Pro, Love Island, 2025 Engagement

Birthdate: November 5, 1994 ·
Occupation: Dancer and choreographer ·
Known for: Strictly Come Dancing (2016–2019) ·
Love Island: Contestant in 2021 ·
Relationship: Reportedly engaged to Zara Zoffany (March 2025) ·
Brother: Curtis Pritchard

Eight key facts, one profile: the numbers that anchor every later timeline.

Is AJ Pritchard still getting married?

Reports from March 2025 say AJ Pritchard and Zara Zoffany are engaged, according to TV Insider (US entertainment outlet). That update follows his public split from dancer Abbie Quinnen in 2022.

Engagement timeline

• AJ was previously in a long-term relationship with Abbie Quinnen, reportedly dating from 2018 or 2019 with accounts differing on the start year, per Entertainment Daily.
• Multiple outlets described the couple as having been together for roughly four years before separating in 2022, per Heart.
• Later coverage reported AJ and Zara Zoffany as a couple and said they became engaged in March 2025, per TV Insider.

Zara Zoffany role

Zara Zoffany was reported as AJ’s post-Abbie romantic interest, according to WalesOnline. The relationship became public after AJ appeared on Vicky Pattison’s podcast, where he said he was single and enjoying himself after the split.

Current status of wedding

No confirmed wedding date has been published as of early 2025. The engagement news itself comes from a tier-2 entertainment report, so fans should treat specific wedding plans as unconfirmed until AJ or Zara address them directly.

The implication: even an unconfirmed engagement is already resetting how entertainment outlets introduce AJ.

Was AJ Pritchard on Love Island?

Yes. AJ Pritchard entered Love Island in 2021 as a contestant, not as a distant celebrity watching from home. That appearance is one of the most searched questions about him, and the record is consistent across outlets.

Love Island appearance year

• AJ appeared on Love Island in 2021, according to WalesOnline.
• He was coupled with Abbie Quinnen during the show, per Heart.

How long he stayed

Reports from the time indicate AJ and Abbie Quinnen left the villa in fifth place, according to coverage compiled by Heart.

Relationship with other contestants

AJ was coupled with Abbie Quinnen, and that coupling became central to his broader public history — it introduced the relationship that later generated tabloid attention around the 2022 split and the fireball incident.

The implication: Love Island didn’t just give AJ a second act — it gave him a relationship storyline that dominated coverage about him for the next two years.

What happened to AJ Pritchard and Abbie?

AJ and Abbie were a couple around the time of Love Island in 2021, and their relationship continued after the villa. Multiple outlets describe the relationship as having lasted roughly four years before the 2022 breakup, per Heart.

How they met

• They were featured as a couple on Love Island in 2021; published accounts differ on when the relationship started, with some saying 2018 or 2019, per Entertainment Daily.
• The relationship became publicly associated with a failed social-media stunt involving a fireball and highly flammable liquid, as reported by The Independent.
• Abbie suffered serious burns, reported as second- and third-degree burns, according to Entertainment Daily.

Engagement announcement

There was no engagement between AJ and Abbie. Abbie said the 2022 breakup was unexpected and that she was devastated, per WalesOnline.

Recent public appearances

Abbie alleged that she found messages from another woman on AJ’s phone before the relationship ended — an allegation attributed to Abbie and not independently established, per Heart. She also said AJ’s brother Curtis texted her about collecting her belongings from AJ’s home.

Coverage reported that Abbie faced online trolling after the fireball accident, according to Entertainment Daily. The combination of an injury, an alleged betrayal, and public harassment made that period particularly messy in the tabloid record.

The pattern: Abbie’s account is the only detailed account of the breakup, and that asymmetry should shape how the story is retold.

When did AJ Pritchard leave Strictly Come Dancing?

AJ Pritchard left Strictly after the 2019 season, with his departure announcement coming in 2020. He cited a desire to pursue television presenting with his brother Curtis Pritchard, according to TV Insider.

Departure year and reason

• AJ appeared on Strictly from 2016, per The Mirror.
• His debut was in series 14, partnered with Claudia Fragapane; they finished fourth, per TV Insider.
• AJ said the Strictly schedule had begun taking a toll when explaining his departure, per the same outlet.

Impact on his career

Leaving Strictly opened the door to Love Island in 2021 and later reality-adjacent projects. Without that exit, the Love Island chapter and the engagement storyline that followed would not have happened in the same way.

Statements from AJ and the BBC

AJ’s own statements emphasized wanting to work with his brother Curtis on presenting projects, per TV Insider. Curtis also left the Strictly world around the same period, though his exact timeline is separate.

The pattern: Strictly gave AJ his platform, but the exit was the turning point — it moved him from dance professional on a BBC show to reality contestant and tabloid relationship storyline.

What is AJ Pritchard doing now?

AJ’s current activities include a visible social media presence, occasional TV guest spots, and dance-related work such as workshops and classes, according to The Mirror’s profile.

TV appearances after Strictly

• Love Island (2021), per WalesOnline
• MTV’s The Challenge, filmed before the 2022 breakup (reported by WalesOnline)

Dance tours and shows

AJ continues to be associated with dance as his core professional identity, though specific tour dates and live show schedules are not consistently documented in available coverage.

Social media and brand partnerships

His social channels remain active, and the reported engagement to Zara Zoffany in March 2025 gives brands and broadcasters a fresh hook for bookings, per TV Insider.

What this means: AJ has turned a dance career into a reality-TV-facing brand. The audience that first saw him on Strictly may no longer be the primary audience he courts; the Love Island and engagement storylines have pulled in a gossip-hungry following.

The pattern: his next booked project will test whether the relationship audience stays once the wedding story resolves.

Career milestones at a glance

Six key dates, one pattern: each pivot moved AJ from a narrower performance role to a wider public one.

• 1994: Birth of AJ Pritchard (The Mirror)
• 2016: Debuts on Strictly Come Dancing as professional dancer (The Mirror)
• 2019: Final Strictly series (TV Insider)
• 2020: Announces departure from Strictly (TV Insider)
• 2021: Appears as contestant on Love Island (WalesOnline)
• 2025: Reportedly gets engaged to Zara Zoffany (TV Insider)

The implication: AJ’s career timeline is a sequence of deliberate format changes — from competitive dancer to TV professional to reality contestant to tabloid relationship figure. Each transition traded one kind of exposure for another.

Confirmed vs unclear

The line between sourced dates and one-sided claims matters here because several tabloid storylines rest on attribution.

The pattern: the sourced timeline is stable, but the relationship details remain unevenly verified.

Quotes and context

“Abbie said the 2022 breakup was unexpected and that she was devastated.”

Abbie Quinnen, via WalesOnline (Welsh news site)

“AJ said the Strictly schedule had begun taking a toll when explaining his departure.”

AJ Pritchard, via TV Insider (US entertainment outlet)

“Abbie alleged that she found messages from another woman on AJ’s phone before the relationship ended.”

Abbie Quinnen, via Heart (UK radio and lifestyle outlet)

Those quotes span two different speakers — AJ and Abbie — and they mark the edge between what is publicly admitted and what remains disputed. The quotes are attributed claims, not independent facts.

Frequently asked questions

The takeaway: the FAQs separate stable biography facts from unverified numbers, with the relationship timeline still the messiest area.

Related reading

• Amber Gill: Love Island Winner’s Net Worth, ADHD & More
• Sam Thompson: ADHD Journey, Relationship & Net Worth

For a public figure whose coverage swings between dance-competition results and relationship gossip, the reliable path forward is to anchor every claim to a named outlet and to flag the rest as allegation. For anyone writing about AJ Pritchard, the decision is clear: cite The Mirror, TV Insider, and WalesOnline for the timeline, or repeat unverified tabloid claims without attribution.