Fifth star leaves Strictly as Amy Dowden misses results show after collapsing backstage
Dr Punam Krishan has become the fifth celebrity to be voted off Strictly Come Dancing in a results show that saw professional dancer Amy Dowden absent due to "unforeseen circumstances". Despite her exit on Halloween week, the Morning Live resident doctor and Scottish GP, who was partnered with Gorka Márquez, explained that she was "proud" of herself for stepping out of her "comfort zone".
Welsh dancer Amy, who couldn't compete on Strictly in 2023 during her breast cancer treatment, was missing from Sunday, 27 October's results show. "Due to unforeseen circumstances, Amy Dowden was unable to be in tonight’s results show," a BBC spokesperson confirmed.
The results show, which is filmed on Saturday night after the live broadcast on BBC One, saw Amy and her celeb partner, JLS singer JB Gill, scoring 32 with their foxtrot to Toploader's Dancing In The Moonlight.
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However, it was Dr Krishan and her dance partner Gorka who faced the dreaded dance-off against former X Factor winner Shayne Ward and Nancy Xu following the public vote. Dr Krishan, 41, and Gorka secured 26 from the judges on Saturday night, meaning that they finished the show in joint-last on the leaderboard with comedian Chris McCausland and his professional partner Dianne Buswell.
As part of the dance-off, Dr Krishan and Gorka performed their spooky tango to Eurythmics' Sweet Dreams while dressed as pirates for a second time in front of the studio audience. Meanwhile Shayne and Nancy gave their dramatic paso doble to Grieg's In The Hall Of The Mountain King, which had secured them 31 points on Saturday night, another go.
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After the dance-off, it was unanimous and the judges chose to save Shayne and Nancy. When Strictly host Tess Daly asked Dr Krishan about her Strictly experience, she expressed immense pride. "I am really proud of myself. You know I’ve taken on something that’s so out of my comfort zone," she said.
She continued to reflect on her journey, "The one thing that I’ve very much learnt is to say yes more, and that there is no point in your life when you can stop learning new skills."
Dr Krishan felt she gained more than just dance moves, saying, "I’ve learnt more than dancing, I’ve learnt so much from Gorka." Overflowing with memories, she added, "Everyone’s been so incredible and it’s just memories that I’ll take home forever and I am very proud. I’ve made my family very proud, I’m just really grateful."
The joy was mirrored by her family's pride, as not only is Dr Krishan a GP and BBC Radio Scotland's phone-in surgery resident doctor, but she had also longed to be on Strictly for years. "To have one of your dreams genuinely come true is just a surreal feeling. Week after week it’s been incredible, I’ve made friends for life and everyone’s just been so kind, so thank you," she said.
Gorka also shared his admiration, describing their six weeks together as "incredible" and expressed how "very proud" he was of her achievements. He praised her growth, saying: "She’s a GP and a mum. She had never danced before and I think she improved week by week."
He concluded by encapsulating the essence of her journey. "I think she is truly what the show is about, someone who doesn’t have experience in the performance world came here and learnt to dance," he added.
Gorka expressed his honour in helping her represent her Punjabi culture when they performed a dance to a traditional Bollywood song for the first time in Strictly’s 20-year history. Dr Krishan thanked him "for believing in her" and giving her the "gift of dancing", adding: "I definitely don’t think this will be the end of my journey dancing".
Sunday’s results show also featured a Beetlejuice-inspired routine by the professional dancers led by Carlos Gu. The remaining 10 couples will take to the dance floor next weekend for the new icons-themed week when Strictly Come Dancing returns on Saturday, 2 November at 6.30pm.
