Strictly Come Dancing star admits 'I'm really grateful' after becoming fifth axed celeb
Strictly Come Dancing's Dr Punam Krishan has been eliminated from the BBC competition. The 41 year old performed a Tango to Sweet Dreams by Eurythmics, earning a score of 26 from the judges and landing her at the bottom of the leaderboard alongside Chris McCausland.
Unfortunately, her performance wasn't enough to save her from the dance-off against Shayne Ward and his partner Nancy Xu. Both couples had to perform their Halloween-themed routine again, with the judges deciding who should continue in the competition.
Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse and Anton Du Beke all chose to save Shayne and Nancy, with head judge Shirley Ballas admitting she too would have saved Shayne.
Speaking about her time on the show, Dr Punam told host Tess Daly: "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."
READ MORE: Strictly Come Dancing judges blasted for 'unfair' scores as fans spot familiar trend
READ MORE: Strictly Come Dancing star Johannes Radebe breaks down in tears after record-breaking score
When asked whether her family is proud, Punam confirmed they are, adding that she's always wanted to be part of the show.
She expressed: "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."
Gorka, reflecting on Punam's journey in the competition, told Tess: "She's a GP and a mum. She had never danced before and I think she improved week by week. 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.
"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."
Punam, admitting her lack of prior dancing experience, thanked Gorka for his faith in her and for teaching her how to dance. She further added: "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."
She now joins the list of stars who have left the show, including Tom Dean, Toyah Willcox, Nick Knowles and Paul Merson.
Despite another contestant bidding farewell, Jamie Borthwick and Sarah Hadland are leading the pack in the show, both earning a score of 38 for their performances, which puts them at the top of the leaderboard.
In Sunday's results show, audiences were treated to a spook-tastic Beetlejuice-inspired routine by the professional dancers, with Carlos Gu embodying the iconic character. Regrettably, Amy Dowden was absent from the group number due to unforeseen circumstances.
Next week, the remaining ten pairs will return to the dance floor for the brand new icons-themed week.
Strictly Come Dancing continues Saturday 2nd November at 6:30pm on BBC One, with the results show airing on Sunday 3rd November at 7:20pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.