Abbie Quinnen says she tried to push AJ Pritchard away from her, putting strain on their relationship, following her horror fire accident earlier this year.
The 23-year-old professional dancer was left with third degree burns on her body and face when a YouTube video backfired at the beginning of the year.
Abbie found herself engulfed in flames when 26-year-old AJ and his 25-year-old brother Curtis tried to use a flaming rope to cut open a glass bottle.
After being rushed to hospital, Abbie was left with life-changing scars – and will need to wear a compression vest and stay out of sunlight for the next two years to help her skin repair.
Speaking to The Sun on Sunday’s Fabulous magazine, Abbie explained that the ordeal caused her to push AJ away from her as she struggled to cope with her injuries.
She said: “I did everything to push him away from me. I felt so traumatised, I hit out at the person who loved me the most.
She explained that AJ was nothing but supportive, helping treat her burns and keeping an upbeat atmosphere around her.
However, she was left wishing he would feel “as devastated” as she did following the horror accident.
Thinking back to her time in hospital, Abbie said: “It was during lockdown, but the doctors decided I needed to have one visit. AJ came in to see me, but I refused to allow him into the room. I couldn’t bear for him to see me. I also told him I wasn’t coming home; I was going to move back in to my mum’s. I just wanted to hide from the world – from everyone.”
Abbie went on to say that AJ’s upbeat moods during her low points lead to arguments.
She said: “I remember that a few days after I’d been home, I started arguing with him. I kept asking him why wasn’t he more upset by what had happened. He went downstairs and after five minutes I followed him. He was standing in a room, making these awful animal crying noises, absolutely broken.
“He could barely speak. All he kept saying was, ‘I feel so guilty. It should have been me, not you.’ He feels so guilty because we only tried that YouTube trick for his Instagram and I was the one that got hurt, and that was tearing him up inside.”
Abbie went on to say that she and AJ have seen their relationship strengthened by the ordeal.