Fifth Strictly Come Dancing star eliminated from series

Only 10 couples remain in the competition...

Strictly Come Dancing has eliminated its fifth celebrity contestant from the 2024 series.

BBC One’s popular dance competition continued on Saturday (26 October) night with its Halloween special, which saw the 11 celebrity contestants and their partners transform into ghoulish characters for their spooky season-inspired routines.

The episode saw Jamie Borthwick and his partner Michelle Tsiakkas top the leaderboard with their Addams Family-themed American Smooth to the film’s original theme, with the pair playing siblings Pugsley and Wednesday. They were in joint first place with Sarah Hadland and Vito Coppola, who floored the judges with their Argentine Tango to “Ready Or Not” by Fugees, and managed to secure 36 points despite suffering a lift mishap at the beginning of their routine.

Dr Punam Krishan and her pro partner Gorka Márquez were placed in Sunday’s dance-off opposite Shayne Ward and Nancy Xu. (BBC/Guy Levy)

It was Dr Punam Krishan, and her pro partner Gorka Márquez, who were placed in Sunday’s dance-off (27 October) opposite Shayne Ward and Nancy Xu.

Krishan and Márquez performed their Tango to “Sweet Dreams” by Eurythmics, followed by Ward and Xu who once again danced their Paso Doble to “In The Hall of The Mountain King” by Edvard Grieg.

Krishan was ultimately eliminated from the series followed by a unanimous vote from the judges.

Asked about her time on the compeition, Krishan said: “I am really proud of myself. You know I’ve taken on something that’s so out of my comfort zone. 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.

“I’ve learnt more than dancing, I’ve learnt so much from Gorka. 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.”

When host Tess Daly asked whether the TV doctor’s family are proud, she responded: “They really are. My kids are so proud, my parents, my husband, everyone. This is just one of those things that I have dreamt about for years and I think 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.”

Her partner Márquez said: “It’s been incredible, it’s been a fantastic six weeks. I’m very proud of what she has achieved. She’s a GP and a mum. She had never danced before and I think she improved week by week.”

Dr Punam Krishan on ‘Strictly’ (BBC/Guy Levy)

“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 continued. “She wanted to do so well and worked so hard. Also I feel very proud and very honoured that we got to do a Bollywood dance, to represent your culture, show your culture to the world and open doors for so many people in your culture.”

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Krishan added: “Thank you. Thank you for believing in me. Thank you for giving me the gift of dancing. I’ve never danced before, but you’ve definitely sparked so much dancing. I want to learn more, and I definitely don’t think this will be the end of my journey dancing.”

The TV medic made history on Strictly when she performed the show’s first-ever Bollywood routine.

Punam Krishan made history performing the first traditional Bollywood routine on ‘Strictly’ (Guy Levy/BBC/PA Wire)

Performing the choreography in a nod to her South Asian heritage, Krishan left the judges in tears with the landmark dance.

The song choice for the performance, “Bhole Chudiye”, is from the 2001 film Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham, one of the highest-grossing movies in the Indian film industry.

Krishan said the performance meant “everything” to her, adding “you can’t be what you can’t see” as she said her four-year-old self would be proud.

She dedicated the dance to her late grandfather, who had always had concerns that his grandchildren would be out of touch with their South Asian culture.

Krishan’s exit follows the departure of footballer Paul Merson, who was eliminated last week, as well as Toyah Willcox, Nick Knowles and Tom Dean, who all left the competition in its earlier stages.