For months, Dr Punam Krishan continued to smile on screen, offering reassurance and warmth to viewers — all while carrying a secret that would change her life forever.
Now, the much-loved doctor, broadcaster and former Strictly Come Dancing star has spoken publicly for the first time about her breast cancer diagnosis, revealing that she quietly battled the disease for five months away from the public eye.
In an emotional Instagram post shared on Sunday, the 42-year-old wrote words she says she still struggles to accept:
“Here goes… Five months ago, I heard the words nobody ever wants to hear: You have cancer.
I still find it hard to write that sentence. But it’s my reality and my truth.”
From Healer to Patient
After nearly two decades spent supporting patients through life-altering diagnoses, Punam admitted nothing prepared her for suddenly becoming the one sitting on the other side of the conversation.
“The shock. The fear. The trauma,” she wrote. “In that moment, knowledge means very little.”
Despite her medical background, she revealed that fear became a constant companion — and survival meant taking each day as it came.
Protecting the Ones She Loves Most
Throughout treatment, Punam made the deeply personal decision to keep her illness private, focusing on protecting her family — husband Dr Sandesh Gulhane and their two children, Aarish, 12, and Ellora, five.
“I tried to protect my energy, and most of all my kids,” she explained.
“My husband, family, and a small circle of friends carried me through in ways I will never forget.”
She has now completed treatment and is in recovery, describing her emotions as layered and complex.
“I’m healing. Grateful. Relieved. Still shaken. All of those things can exist at once.”
“Trust Your Gut — It Saved My Life”
Punam revealed that it was instinct — not symptoms — that first told her something wasn’t right. She is now urging others to listen closely to their bodies.
“Cancer doesn’t discriminate,” she wrote. “I had no family history. I was well. I’m a doctor — and yet, here I am.
Early detection saves lives. It saved mine.”
An Outpouring of Love from the Strictly Family
Support quickly flooded in from friends and colleagues, including members of the Strictly Come Dancing family. Gorka Márquez offered a message of hope, writing: “We will be sitting having a coffee and a croissant.”
Fellow dancer and breast cancer survivor Amy Dowden added simply: “You’ve got this, pink sister.”
Punam, who appeared on the BBC series in 2024, said she remains cautious but hopeful as she moves forward.
A Life Reframed
Facing her own mortality has reshaped everything, she says — stripping life back to its essentials.
“Your health is everything,” she reflected. “Not work. Not possessions. Not perfection.”
For a woman who has spent her career caring for others, this was a chapter she never expected to write. But by sharing her truth now, Dr Punam Krishan hopes her story will do what she has always dedicated her life to doing — help others, raise awareness, and save lives.
Sometimes, the most powerful medicine is simply being heard.
