07 October 2023 , 12:45
1135
0
Strictly Come Dancing star Krishnan Guru-Murthy is one of the most familiar faces on Channel 4 News, but what is his life like off-screen?
The 53-year-old is currently impressing the judges with his secret moves on the BBC dance show. If you haven’t seen his Cha Cha Cha to iconic 90s track Boom Shack-A-Lack, you need to!
But when he’s not shimmying on Strictly or presenting the news, Krishnan is a doting husband to wife of 18 years Lisa, who he married in February 2005. The couple also share two children, daughter Jasmine, 18, and 16-year-old son Jay.
Revealing how they met, Krishnan said it was a blind date set up by their mutual pal Tim Hincks. “Tim worked with me on a show and introduced me to Lisa, who worked with his wife, Pippa. Now, much more importantly, we play in a band together. But we don’t talk rock ‘n’ roll in front of wives, they don’t take us seriously.”
Although he doesn’t post that regularly on Instagram, Krishnan posted a snap of his traditional Indian wedding day, revealing Lisa wore a blue sari for the occasion. To celebrate their 14th wedding anniversary in 2019 he wrote: “I can’t believe it’s 14 years! I’m very lucky.”
Strictly's Molly Rainford and Tyler West fuel romance rumours while on tour
Krishnan has been married to wife Lisa for 18 years and they share two children (Getty Images)Opening up about their wedding celebrations, he said it was a “real mixture of Indian and British culture”. Revealing his hidden talent which became part of his big day, he added: “I played a few rock ‘n’ roll songs. I sang and played bass, on the grounds that I was the worst guitarist of the three of us. Let’s just say the crowd was on our side,” he said in a previous interview with The Guardian.
Unlike her famous husband, Lisa is not in the public eye and not much is known about her job. However, Krishnan recently revealed his wife inspired him do Strictly after “being asked for years”.
He said that following his 53rd birthday in April he realised he could no longer be what he describes as “overweight and unattractive” - while Lisa was “looking hot” after transforming her own fitness by joining a rowing club and running 10 miles every other day.
Krishnan has wowing fans and the judges with his moves on Strictly with partner Lauren Oakley (PA)Since then he has lost nearly three stone and now needs seven fewer holes to do his trouser belt up – and his wife isn’t complaining. He told MailOnline: “My wife is enjoying that I am a little bit lighter than I was. In a way, I’ve been trying to keep up with her... I think she’s pleased I have started pulling myself together, getting fitter and looking a bit more presentable.
“I am a bit obsessed with being overweight and unattractive. My wife has never talked in those terms, but she has always talked about me being healthy. Women in their 50s are looking amazing and my wife and her friends are all looking amazing, so men have become insecure about having hot wives.”
He continued: "I think that's not necessarily a bad thing if men pull themselves together because their wives are looking hotter than they are – if you get in that situation where all the women are looking good and all the men are overweight and beer bellies.
"I think you get yourself into a position where you give up and think it's fine. I just reached that stage."
"Men are being led by women; women did it first. Women in their 50s are looking amazing and my wife and her friends are all looking amazing, so men have become insecure about having hot wives."
Although he is doing Strictly for weight loss and fun, Krishnan has a genetic heart condition - hypertrophic cardiomyopathy – and said doctors have told him he “could drop dead” at any moment if he pushes his heart too much. But he says he came to the realisation he needed to do the BBC show now or he would be “too decrepit” to take part.
*Strictly Come Dancing continues on BBC1 on Saturday, October 7 at 6.20pm
Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman 'sign deal' to host Strictly for two more years