Inside Strictly star Krishnan Guru Murthy’s off-camera life with wife Lisa, famous sister and way he lost two stone
NEWSREADER Krishnan Guru-Murthy is finding his fancy footwork on Strictly Come Dancing.
The broadcaster, 52, is part of the BBC One show’s celebrity line-up for 2023 – and he’s already been busy dazzling on the dancefloor.
Krishnan stepped out from behind the news desk to perform a Cha Cha Cha with professional Lauren Oakley, 32, in Strictly Come Dancing‘s opening episode, scooping 22 points in the process.
With his bid for the Glitter Ball trophy ongoing, we take a look at what is happening behind the scenes of the Channel 4 star’s life.
OFF CAMERA LIFE WITH WIFE
Krishnan is best known for presenting the Channel 4 news but his wife Lisa leads a life out of the spotlight.
Together they have two children – daughter Jasmine and a son together.
The pair met through their mutual friend Tim Hincks.
Talking of how they first crossed paths Krishnan previously told The Guardian: “Tim worked with me on a show and introduced me to Lisa, who worked with his wife, Pippa.
“Now, much more importantly, we play in a band together.
“But we don’t talk rock’n’roll in front of wives – they don’t take us seriously.”
They married in February 2005 and, back in 2019, Krishnan shared a snap from their wedding day on Instagram as they celebrated 14 years together.
While talking of a special Sunday, he told The Guardian back in September: “My wedding day, February 2005, a real mixture of Indian and British culture.”
Krishnan continued: “I played a few rock’n’roll songs with friends.
“I sang and played bass, on the grounds that I was the worst guitarist of the three of us. Let’s just say the crowd was on our side.”
He recently exclusively told The Sun how Lisa has no concerns about the infamous Strictly curse – as he is old enough to be many of the dancers’ fathers.
NEWS MAN’S BBC STAR SISTER
Krishnan is not the only member of his family to find small-screen fame.
His sister, Geeta Guru-Murthy, is also a news presenter and journalist, previously working as an anchor for BBC News.
She has been working on TV news since 2013 and on bulletins across BBC One, Two and World News.
She started her career on BBC regional channel Look North before moving to Channel 5.
Krishnan’s famous TV sibling has also been vocal about the gender pay gap in the BBC.
She lost her job with the corporation earlier this year when the BBC relaunched its news channel.
Meanwhile, Krishnan’s brother, Ravi, works for the International Rescue Committee.
INCREDIBLE WEIGHT LOSS
Krishnan has candidly opened up on his weight loss, which came amid other health battles including breathlessness, Crohn’s Disease, high blood pressure and mild cardiovascular disease.
He also suffers from the hereditary condition, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.
Talking of his focus towards a fitter lifestyle, he told The Times: “It wasn’t exactly a midlife crisis. I didn’t have a problem with my age, identity or marriage and I’d done fast cars when I was young.
“But as I approached 53 this year, no amount of great tailoring could hide the fact that 14st 11lb when you’re only 5ft 8in is far too much, and the self-loathing when I looked in the mirror was growing.
“I didn’t need the NHS body mass index calculator to tell me I was obese. Between my mother and my 16-year-old son I was getting a steady flow of, ‘Krishnan, look at your stomach – it’s terrible for your heart,’ and, ‘Dad, you’re so fat!’.”
He shed 1st 10lb in April and May before jetting off to a health resort in Austria where meals are capped at 500 calories a day.
He opted into the Mayr wellness method which banned snacking – while also pinpointing the dietary triggers for his Crohn’s.
He has now lost a further stone after sticking to the requirements back on home turf.
Krishnan added to The Times: “If only I had started this months ago I might be in better shape for the competition.
“As it is I’m better than I was, but with a long road ahead. Strictly, they say, is all about the journey.
“And even if it’s a short-lived one on the TV, it starts something longer and deeper in many of those who do it. I hope I’m in that camp.
“Either way, I think my relationships with food, drink and my body have changed quite fundamentally.”