Krishnan-Guru Murthy: I did Strictly to keep up with my much hotter wife – and now I’ve even persuaded my 16-year-old son to come watch the show
It was on Krishnan Guru-Murthy’s 53rd birthday in April that he realised he could no longer be what he describes as ‘overweight and unattractive’.
His wife Lisa, he says, was ‘looking hot’ after transforming her own fitness by running ten miles every other day and joining a rowing club. Krishnan, the Channel 4 News presenter, confesses he felt he was being left behind.
Seven months later, having signed up for the latest series of BBC1’s Strictly, he has lost two-and-a-half stone… and now needs seven fewer holes to do up his trouser belt.
Last weekend, he and pro-partner Lauren Oakley impressed with a cha-cha-cha to Apache Indian’s Boom Shack-A-Lak.
Dressed in an orange suit, he admitted afterwards that he ‘couldn’t stop smiling’.
It was on Krishnan Guru-Murthy’s 53rd birthday in April that he realised he could no longer be what he describes as ‘overweight and unattractive’. His wife Lisa (pictured together in 2016), he says, was ‘looking hot’ after transforming her own fitness by running ten miles every other day and joining a rowing club
Seven months later, having signed up for the latest series of BBC1’s Strictly, he has lost two-and-a-half stone… and now needs seven fewer holes to do up his trouser belt
Speaking during a break from training, in a studio in Elstree – with Taylor Swift playing in the background – Krishnan explained that for many years he had ignored requests to take part in Strictly but this year, now 12st 7lbs rather than 15 stone, he says the ‘planets aligned’ and he decided to go for it.
And since beginning training, his weight-loss has accelerated.
READ MOER: Meet Krishnan Guru-Murthy: The Strictly Come Dancing star and news presenter whose wife is ‘appalled’ he’s on the show
Like so many men in their 50s, he felt the pressure to look after himself more. Interestingly, he says this was inspired by the belief that like so many middle-age men, he had a duty to keep up with their much fitter womenfolk.
Was he insecure, I ask. ‘Yes, definitely. And 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.’
You’re worried the women will go off with younger men? He replies: ‘That’s the great fear.’
‘My wife is enjoying that I am a little bit lighter than I was. In a way, I have been trying to keep up with her. She’s amazing and so I think she’s pleased I have started catching and 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. I think you get yourself into a position where you give up and think it’s fine. I just reached that stage.’
Warming to his theme, Krishnan says: ‘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.’
Last weekend, he and pro-partner Lauren Oakley impressed with a cha-cha-cha to Apache Indian’s Boom Shack-A-Lak (pictured)
Speaking during a break from training, in a studio in Elstree – with Taylor Swift playing in the background – Krishnan explained that for many years he had ignored requests to take part in Strictly but this year, now 12st 7lbs rather than 15 stone, he says the ‘planets aligned’ and he decided to go for it
His new trim look has won him an unlikely heart-throb status, something he says he hasn’t been familiar with for 30 years. So now, rather than be written off as this year’s Strictly joke act, he won over millions of viewers – and the judges.
Last weekend, he and Lauren scored an acceptable 22 out of 40 from the judges.
While Lauren insists she always knew he had the natural moves, Krishnan admits he was surprised at the positive comments, ‘especially from Craig [Revel Horwood],’ he says. ‘I thought that his nice words would be followed by a “but”, but they weren’t.’
At home, though, there was someone he was even more determined to impress – his 16-year-old son, who begged him not to appear on Strictly. Not only did he not want his father to take part, he refused to go with the rest of the family to watch him perform.
‘He begged me not to,’ reveals Krishnan. ‘It got to the point where, the week before I started and I hadn’t signed my contract, which I casually mentioned, he said: ‘You haven’t signed your contract, so you don’t have to do it? Please don’t do it.’
His new trim look has won him an unlikely heart-throb status, something he says he hasn’t been familiar with for 30 years. So now, rather than be written off as this year’s Strictly joke act, he won over millions of viewers – and the judges. Last weekend, he and Lauren (pictured) scored an acceptable 22 out of 40 from the judges
While Lauren insists she always knew he had the natural moves, Krishnan admits he was surprised at the positive comments, ‘especially from Craig [Revel Horwood],’ he says. ‘I thought that his nice words would be followed by a ‘but’, but they weren’t.’
Whereas Krishnan’s wife and daughter were keen to go to the launch show, his son didn’t want to. ‘He said: “If you do Strictly, don’t involve me,” says his dad.
But last Saturday night, when Krishnan arrived home after his first performance, the teenager surprised his father with his change of tune.
READ MORE: Krishnan Guru-Murthy reveals why he finally agreed to take part in Strictly Come Dancing after the challenges of the pandemic and being diagnosed with genetic heart condition
‘His feedback was very muted to start with,’ says Krishnan. ‘He came through the door at 11pm on Saturday night and said he had watched the show and then I asked ‘what did you think?’
‘He then asked if he could come next week, which was great, it is such a breakthrough. He didn’t want me to do it and now he wants to come to the studio and watch.
Krishnan’s determination to succeed on Strictly means he and Lauren are now rehearsing in Manchester where he is reporting from the Tory party conference. He was due to interview Rishi Sunak this weekend.
Next weekend, he’ll waltz off to Liverpool with Lauren for the Labour conference where he will come face to face with party leader Sir Keir Starmer.
For the first time in Krishnan’s career, the worlds of politics and showbiz have collided and, off-camera, there is only one topic on the agenda – Strictly.
‘I interviewed Keir and Rachel Reeves [Labour’s Shadow Chancellor] last week and all they wanted to know about was the show. Actually, they worked Strictly into the interview.
‘Gordon Brown was the same when I interviewed him, though he knows all about the show because Ed Balls [who worked with him in the Treasury when Brown was Chancellor] did it and they are very close.’
Krishnan also reveals that last week a member of the current Cabinet texted him following his performance with the word ‘boom’ (after his dance to the song Boom Shack-A-Lak [pictured above]) and he got a ‘well done, what great fun’ from a member of the Shadow Cabinet. ‘So they are all watching,’ he says
In fact, he says everyone is being nicer to him. His Channel 4 bosses say he looks as if he is having the time of his life and put a glitter ball above his desk – until he was told it had to be removed for health and safety reasons
Krishnan also reveals that last week a member of the current Cabinet texted him following his performance with the word ‘boom’ (after his dance to the song Boom Shack-A-Lak) and he got a ‘well done, what great fun’ from a member of the Shadow Cabinet. ‘So they are all watching,’ he says.
In fact, he says everyone is being nicer to him. His Channel 4 bosses say he looks as if he is having the time of his life and put a glitter ball above his desk – until he was told it had to be removed for health and safety reasons. Now, viewers are not questioning him about why he didn’t grill an interviewee enough. Instead, women are approaching him in Marks & Spencer to tell him how much they adore him.
His daughter Jasmine’s university friends are also in awe. Last Sunday, just hours after his live dancing debut, he visited her halls of residence at Bristol University to find her friends showering him with compliments.
‘They were catching up with the dance on YouTube, and asked me: ‘Oh my God, is that you?’ They were really surprised that I could move in time to the music. I took some of her friends for lunch and they were like, ‘oh my God, you’re really good’.’
He is determined to stay in the competition for as long as possible, begging for a comparison with 2020 winner Bill Bailey.
An unlikely star, the comedian was written off by Strictly fans early on, with most expecting him to be the next ‘joke’ act
Lauren cheerily chips in to say he has ‘the legs of a ballet dancer that loads of dancers would love to have’
An unlikely star, the comedian was written off by Strictly fans early on, with most expecting him to be the next ‘joke’ act like former TV political editor John Sergeant or former Tory minister Ann Widdecombe.
Krishnan sees the similarities, though Lauren cheerily chips in to say he has ‘the legs of a ballet dancer that loads of dancers would love to have’.
READ MORE: Strictly’s Krishnan Guru-Murthy reveals ‘there will be a defibrillator’ on hand while he performs after doctors warned he could ‘drop dead’ due to a genetic heart condition
He admits: ‘Bill Bailey is my total hero for Strictly because I didn’t expect him to do it and then when he did you didn’t expect him to be very good. But he was brilliant. So if I was ever compared to Bill, I would be delighted.
‘People thought I would be awful and I didn’t want to be the person who staggers around for laughs. I didn’t want Lauren to come up with gags to get us some votes to go to the next week.’
Strictly has had its health benefits for Krishnan, too. He has a genetic heart condition which he knows means he could drop dead at any moment.
A cousin died from the same disease a few months ago and another died 30 years ago. But his father, who sat alongside his mother in the audience last week, is 89 and still works full-time.
Krishnan also suffers from Crohn’s disease and endured an uncomfortable bout of gout earlier this year.
Shedding so much weight has meant he has become much healthier, but does he still worry about dying young?
‘My health worries have always been in the background but it’s not been a foreground thought since I have been doing Strictly and got fitter.’
In fact, the benefits of his training mean he is no longer obsessed with his heart rate.
‘I have stopped wearing my Apple watch because I don’t feel I need to monitor my heart beat any more. And that’s thanks to Strictly,’ he smiles.
- Strictly Come Dancing is on BBC One and iPlayer on Saturday evenings.
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