AJ Pritchard has broken his silence on his girlfriend’s Abbie Quinnen’s horrifying fire accident, which left her with three-degree burns and needing three skin grafts.
The former Strictly Come Dancing star, 26, declared ‘our fans’ messages keep us all going’ as he thanked them for their support during the latest episode of his podcast, AJ v Curtis, with his brother.
Professional dancer Abbie, 23, was filming a video with her beau when the accident happened on January 19 and was driven to Ealing Hospital in London by Love Island star Curtis, 25.
‘Your messages keep us going’: AJ Pritchard has broken his silence on his girlfriend’s Abbie Quinnen’s fire accident, which left her with three-degree burns and needing three skin grafts
Revealing he’ll share my details on the scary ordeal in the near future, AJ said: ‘It came out that the there was an accident with Abby. And I just want to say just make it quite brief, to be honest.
‘For anybody that hasn’t seen the story yesterday where Abby had an accident. That’s why I’m just saying thank you for all the lovely messages, thank you very much for all the love and support and the kind messages.
‘I know we haven’t replied to everybody. But yeah, thank you for that. And we will talk about it further down the line when we both feel comfortable.
‘So yeah, just thanks for that love. It means a lot on your support, keeps those positive and keeps us all going.
Terrible: Professional dancer Abbie, 23, was filming a video with her beau, 26, when the accident happened on January 19 and was driven to Ealing Hospital in London
Awful: The former Strictly Come Dancing star thanked their fans for their support during the latest episode of his podcast, AJ v Curtis, with his brother
Since the awful incident, The Sun On Sunday reported that Abbie needed three skin grafts and made 20 hospital visits with AJ caring for her as she recovers at home inbetween appointments.
Pictures obtained by the publication also showed a heavily-bandaged Abbie lying in bed with only a small section of her face visible underneath the dressings.
A source explained how AJ quickly reacted to the fire and tried to put out the flames with a wet tea towel before calling 999.
They told the publication: ‘Abbie was shocked and in a great deal of pain but AJ sprang into action to put out the fire with a wet tea towel.
Recovery: Since the awful accident in January, Abbie has needed three skin grafts and made 20 hospital visits
‘He was terrified himself but he did all he could to stop her from burning. Abbie’s whole upper body went up in flames. It was like something from a horror film.’
Revealing how the duo are holding up, the source added that AJ has been there ‘24/7′ for his girlfriend and has been changing her bandages.
The 999 operator reportedly informed AJ an ambulance would take some time to arrive so he and Curtis drove Abbie, who was in ‘agony’, to the hospital themselves.
Abbie is thought to have then been admitted to intensive care before being sent to a specialist burns unit at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital the next day.
Speaking about how the accident happened, the source said that AJ and Abbie had been filming a video for their Instagram followers.
The clip involved dipping a rope in a flammable chemical and setting fire to it once wrapped around the bottle in order to cut the bottle in half and make a vase.
However the couple’s attempt went horribly wrong, with the bottle blowing up and causing Abbie’s hair and clothing to catch fire.
Support: AJ has been caring for Abbie at their home and changing her bandages
A spokesperson for the couple told The Sun On Sunday that Abbie is continuing to receive treatment and the duo wish to thank all the doctors for their ‘incredible’ care.
MailOnline has contacted Abbie and AJ’s representative for further comment.
AJ and Abbie have been dating since 2018 and seem to have gone from strength to strength during lockdown.
The I’m A Celebrity contestant recently gushed over his pro dancer love as he detailed how they’ve been discussing the future lots during the pandemic.
He told The Sun: ‘You know when you see a series like Below Deck or Selling Sunset and there’s a wedding? We always love talking about weddings.
‘We were best friends before we were in a relationship and I think that really hits home that we love spending time together.
Help: Curtis, 25, drove Abbie and AJ to the hospital on the night of the accident after they were told an ambulance would take some time to arrive (the brothers are pictured together in 2020)
‘We love doing everything together, to be honest, and it’s been great. There has been no downside, there’s been no arguments.’
Abbie has also gushed over her dancer beau in the past, admitting she believes AJ is ‘The One’ and that she was ‘going crazy’ without him by her side during his stint in the Welsh I’m A Celebrity camp last year.
In an exclusive interview with MailOnline, Abbie said: ‘I am so desperate to see him – I am going crazy I feel like I have been lost without him.
‘All I want to do is hug him and kiss him – it’s been too long now! I definitely can see he is missing me.
‘While AJ has been in the castle he organised some gifts for me that I’d have during his time in there to show he was still thinking of me.’
Couple: Abbie and AJ have been dating since 2018