Former Strictly Come Dancing star Punam Krishan reveals breast cancer diagnosis

Former Strictly Come Dancing contestant and TV doctor Punam Krishan has said that she has been diagnosed with breast cancer.

Krishan, 42, who is also known for her appearances on BBC One’s Morning Live, said she had been diagnosed five months ago, and that despite being a doctor for almost two decades “absolutely nothing prepares you for being on the receiving end yourself”.

She said in a post on Instagram: “I’ve kept this private while going through treatment, trying to protect my energy and most of all – my children.

“I’ve now completed treatment and I’m healing, grateful, relieved, still shaken, all of those things can exist at once.”

Krishan said she was disclosing her diagnosis now because “carrying it quietly has been heavy” and “because I’ve always believed in honesty”.

She added: “Cancer doesn’t discriminate. I had no family history, I was well, I’m a doctor, and yet – here I am.

“What I’ve learned most is this, early detection saves lives, it saved mine.

“My story began with an unusual feeling – a gut instinct, listening to it mattered. Please know your body, trust yourself, and act early if something doesn’t feel right.

“This experience has changed me, it’s taken me to very dark places mentally – conversations about your own mortality will do that – but it’s also stripped life back to what truly matters.

“Your health is everything, not work not possessions, not perfection.”

The Scottish star, who has also appeared on TV gameshow The Weakest Link, said she had “so much more to share when I’m ready”.

Krishan was the fifth celebrity to be eliminated from the BBC dancing show in 2024, when she was partnered with professional dancer Gorka Marquez, who wished her well on Instagram.

Marquez said: “I know you and I know you will get through this, and we will be sat having a coffee and a croissant.”

Fellow Strictly professional dancer Amy Dowden, who has herself been diagnosed with breast cancer, added: “You got this pink sister, sending so much love.”

The NHS says the symptoms of breast cancer include a lump or swelling in the breast, a change in breast skin, a change in size or shape of breasts or nipples, or a pain in the breast or armpit which does not go away.