AJ and Curtis Pritchard: ‘Don’t waste mental energy on things you can’t control’

The kings of reality TV reflect on how their backgrounds as dancers have kept them grounded, introducing them to fame from a young age and teaching them meditation as a way of managing stress

From dancing and exercise to meditation, AJ and Curtis share their top wellness tips (Owen James )

The Pritchard brothers are used to a life lived in the spotlight. Elite-level dancers from childhood, they have, between them, appeared on pretty much every reality television format going, including Strictly Come Dancing, I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here and Love Island.

For many of us, facing that level of public scrutiny would be far too much, but for Curtis it’s never been a burden. “I’m a performer – I have been since I was a kid. So I’ve always loved an audience in front of me. So truthfully, really, I quite enjoy it.” AJ is similarly sanguine about it, and is quick to point out: “We are in the public eye because we are professional dancers, which we trained all our lives to become. All that hard work, and those ethics and coming from a very grounded family have always helped dealing with being in the public eye.”

So comfortable are they with it, that for Curtis the big challenge is not the fame or the hurdles put in place by others, but the ones he creates for himself. “I would have to say my biggest challenge is not overthinking and over complicating situations,” he says. As is the case for so many others he has found that meditation to be an incredible tool: “before going to bed or before any situation where I’m going to do something, I try to control my breathing. It settles my thoughts and allows me to be as clear-minded as possible, which means I can focus on what is important, and then what isn’t important as well.”

Curtis says he always feels healthier mentally when he’s doing regular exercise (Curtis Pritchard)

Both brothers have big social media profiles and while they don’t have any hard and fast rules about how they interact with the medium they are both aware that there needs to be limits, as Curtis explains: “After Love Island, I decided not to post anything about new relationships over socials, so I can try to keep some elements of my life a little bit more private.” And though they’re both disciplined when it comes to not reading the comments they’re aware that it’s easy to get sucked in. “A great bit of advice for anybody trying to reduce their time on social media is turn off your notifications, because then you’ll only go on it when you want to.”

When asked about what they do to maintain positive mental health, exercise is top of the list. “I’m definitely in a much healthier mental state when I’m doing my exercise,” says Curtis. “So I always try to keep doing some form of exercise – not as much as AJ does, but some form of exercise just to keep me ticking over and keep everything moving.” Diet is important too. He talks about eating healthily with the right amount of good protein and good fats, but having fun is also essential. “Always try to fit at least one thing in the week that you really enjoy doing. Because then you feel like you’ve accomplished something and you’ll feel good about yourself, you’ll feel confident and your mind will be in a positive and confident state.”

AJ says building structure and routine into his day helps him stay positive (AJ Pritchard)

For AJ, the best way to deal with stress is to be honest with yourself. “For me it’s about understanding what you can control and what you can’t control. I always write a list at the end of the night of the things I can control. That way I don’t waste mental energy on things I can’t control. Only worry about things that you can control and then you will be able to move forward.”

As two young men who have already achieved so much their final message is, unsurprisingly, to go out there and grasp life, make the most of every day. “It’s really important to build a structure into your day,” says AJ. “That’s something that we’ve always lived our lives by. Add a routine into a day even if you feel like you’ve got nothing to do as it will really help give your day value so you’ll feel like you’re not wasting time because life is way too short.”

Find out more about the Sweat and Tears campaign and how it aims to promote better physical and mental well-being across the nation, through exercise and hydration.