Strictly's Krishnan Guru-Murthy could drop dead mid-performance, doctors warn

12 September 2023 , 18:16

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Strictly's Krishnan Guru-Murthy could drop dead mid-performance, doctors warn

Doctors have warned a Strictly Come Dancing star could drop dead mid-performance ahead of the live launch on the BBC. Medical professionals detailed deadly consequences ahead of Krishnan Guru-Murthy's hotly anticipated appearance.

The Channel 4 newsreader has been diagnosed with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, an illness which has already led to the premature deaths of two of his cousins. After seeking advice from his cardiologist, they say he could "drop dead".

Speaking to The Mirror, the 53-year-old says doctors told him to keep his heart rate moderate and that he believes the most dangerous number could be the Charleston. "I've got to keep my heart rate below about 140," he explained.

Krishnan has hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (BBC/Ray Burmiston)

"I don’t know whether you can do that in a 90-second very fast dance. The Charleston will be a challenge, but we’ll see. I mean, my cardiologist basically said 'I can’t give you a hundred per cent guarantee that you won’t drop dead'."

Journalist Krishnan said he agreed to take part in Strictly Come Dancing, having turned it down several times before, because the news agenda has been so dark in recent years with the pandemic, war in Ukraine and political chaos.

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"You become a sort of conduit for that," he explained. "It’s all quite stressful, so the idea of actually having an outlet for pure pleasure, joy and fun, where you totally take your mind off the news, was a huge opportunity in a way that I’d never realised before.

"I was going, 'you’ve been an absolute idiot saying no to this for years, you should grasp it, it’s a privilege to be asked - just go and do it'." He 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."

Fans won't have very long to wait as the launch date is set for Saturday, September 23, so this year's celebrity contestants will need to get a move on in learning all their steps. The BBC have confirmed an impressive line-up of famous faces.

Amongst the 2023 line-up is TV presenters Angela Scanlon and Nikita Kanda and fan-favourite EastEnders star Bobby Brazier. Also in this year's show is actresses Ellie Leach and Amanda Abbington and Family Fortunes presenter Les Dennis.

Paralympian Jody Cundy, well-known news readers Angela Rippon and Krishnan Guru-Murthy and tennis sporting star Annabel Croft is also amongst stars, including Love Island's Zara McDermott and actors Layton Williams, Nigel Harman and Adam Thomas.

Nicola Methven