Krishnan on doctor's chilling response to him 'dropping dead live on Strictly'

03 September 2023 , 19:38

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Krishnan Guru-Murthy (Image: PA)

Krishnan Guru-Murthy has admitted he can’t go flat out during Strictly training as his dicky ticker might not take it.

The newsreader, 53, has the genetic heart condition hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, which led to the death of two cousins. 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. His wife Lisa backed his decision to get out of his comfort zone and try something new.

Krishnan said: “I even asked my cardiologist if I might drop dead live on BBC1. ‘No’, was his answer. But he couldn’t give me an absolute guarantee. I have to be careful of raising my heartbeat into the red zone; that final 15%. I shouldn’t go there. It’s where people with my condition drop dead.”

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Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy thickens the muscle walls of the heart and, in some cases, can lead to cardiac arrest. They’ve been asking me to do these sorts of shows for years. What if I kept saying no? It might not be physically possible for me to do it now, that remains to be seen. But it certainly won’t be possible in five years.”

The Channel 4 newsreader will face off against 14 other celebs for the Glitterball trophy, including Les Dennis and Angela Rippon. But he dismissed the theory that future interviewees on TV will see him as a soft touch following his stint. He told the Observer on Sunday: “I’ll carry on doing what I do. It would be very funny if anyone dared take me less seriously going into an interview.”

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