TELLY doctor Punam Krishan’s diary has never been more full – as she’s going to continue working as a GP while starring on Strictly Come Dancing.
The mum of two, from Glasgow, has signed on for the 20th anniversary series of the celebrity dance competition alongside famous faces such as JLS singer JB Gill, Love Island’s Tasha Gouri, EastEnders actor Jamie Borthwick and football legend Paul Merson.
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But she’ll be busier than all of her rivals as she’s going to keep her surgery running for however long she lasts on the programme.
The author, a resident doctor on BBC Morning Live, said: “I am going to be working alongside doing Strictly because, first and foremost, I am a GP. I really enjoy my job, and I love being a doctor.
“I work in an incredible practice with a really lovely team, and they’re all mega Strictly fans as well. We’re going to make it work. That’s what we’re going to do, because as a doctor, especially, your first and foremost duty is to your patients.
“So to be able to then finish surgery and then take up an entirely new skill, learn to dance, and immerse myself in a whole other experience, I think will be really good for just kind of the mental well-being side of things. So, I hope that one will complement the other. They are completely different worlds, but it’ll be nice to see how they come together.”
Strictly has been shrouded in controversy due to a probe into allegations of bullying involving Giovanni Pernice.
The pro dancer left the show after nine years following an official complaint made against him by his 2023 partner, Amanda Abbington.
Since then others have come forward to suggest they felt uncomfortable while shooting the iconic show.
But Punam, married to Scottish Conservative health spokesman, Dr Sandesh Gulhane, is feeling positive about the experience – even if she is terrified she’ll mess up some moves.
The 41-year-old said: “I have been a fan of the show for years. It’s something that my son and I have watched together and we always looked forward to. My job entails quite an intense week, with a lot of pressure. And you feel quite drained at the end of it, so to have something to look forward to that just has magic, sparkle, dance, dreaminess is exactly what I fantasise about when I watch it on the TV from my sofa.
“So, this year, to have the call to do it, I literally feel like I’m just about to jump from my sofa into a complete dream. And that’s what made me say yes.
“I’m looking forward to it all and am ready to surrender to the magic of Strictly. What it does for me when I watch it as a fan is that it makes me feel excited. It makes me feel hopeful. It inspires me. It makes me want to dance. I love the music, I love the colours, I love the outfits. And now to get to step into that, I’m looking forward to just experiencing and immersing myself in all of it.
“I am a proud Scot, so to be able to represent Glasgow and Scotland – bonnie Scotland – in Strictly feels very, very special. I just hope that I do them proud. To see tartan-infused sparkles in the numbers would be extremely magical. I could take it up a notch. I’m Indian as well, so I identify as being a Glaswegian Indian – a ‘Glajabi,’ as I like to call myself. So, yeah, a bit of Scottish, a bit of Indian in there – that would just be pure magic.”
She added: “I can’t dance at all, so I’m slightly terrified of every single one of the dances. However, the one that I’m most looking forward to will be the Salsa, because I think that’s really fun. I usually love the whole energy of that. But the Paso Doble is just a really fiery, passionate, dramatic dance.
“Unfortunately, I don’t have any signature moves. It’s usually very bad Mum dancing, which at the time I believe is very good dancing. However, footage often proves otherwise.
“It is terrifying. I have only ever done live TV and radio in a capacity as a doctor, where I’m relaying health information to the nation. I’m talking about things that are very much in my realm of expertise, and things that I can control and know about, whereas this is a complete unknown.
“So, to kind of step out and just get to be Punam, as exciting as that feels, it’s also very nerve-wracking. I certainly don’t have a clue what I’m doing in that respect, but I’m excited for leaping into it and just going with the flow, embracing the fear, and hopefully becoming comfortable in a whole other way of presenting myself in front of lots of people. But I’m not going to lie – it does feel very daunting.”
Watching every move and making notes ahead the first live show will be Strictly Judges Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse, Anton Du Beke and Head Judge Shirley Ballas.
While this year’s series will include all the viewer favourite theme weeks; Movies, Halloween, Musicals and a week in the home of Ballroom, Blackpool.
Punam has already eyed up the competition and knows she’ll have to pull out all the stops to have any chance of winning.
But she’s not sure he can replicate the incredible leg lift from Angela Rippon, Strictly’s oldest ever contestant at 78, which shocked viewers last year.
She admitted: “The leg lift that just went on and on and on, certainly became a topic of conversation in the GP consultation room for several weeks. Every time we discussed arthritis, people would say, “Did you not see that Angela Rippon leg lift?
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But she hopes that continuing to work as a doctor will keep her feet firmly on the ground. Punam joked: “Who knows, along the way, I’ll probably end up prescribing dancing to some of my patients.”
Strictly Come Dancing will launch on Saturday on BBC One from 7.20pm
