BBC Strictly star Dr Punam Krishan's 'traumatic' health scare that left her in intensive care

NHS GP turned Strictly Come Dancing star Dr Punam Krishan suffered a traumatic birth back in 2013, and has focused her efforts on helping new mums navigate through similar situations

Dr Punam Krishan 'almost died' giving birth to her son more than a decade ago - and says the incident still 'haunts' her.

She might be all smiles while performing the Foxtrot to Shania Twain's hit Man! I feel like a woman - but the GP and TV star suffered terrible altercations when she went into labour back in 2013. Dr Punam, now 41, believed everything would go as planned when she arrived in hospital; she'd had an uncomplicated pregnancy and was fit and healthy.

But, things soon spiralled and her baby's heart rate started 'fluctuating dangerously' while her pain became 'unbearable'. Her husband tried to get another midwife to come and assess the situation but due to staff changeover times and a language barrier - it wasn't an easy process.

Eventually, a locum doctor turned up and Dr Punam ended up being taken to theatre, having lost a significant amount of blood while her baby was taken for paediatric intervention. In a brave Op-Ed for the i, the celeb explained that she needed 'urgent surgery' and was suffering from anaphylaxis and sepsis.

"I was unconscious and ended up intubated in intensive care, only to wake up days later attached to various machines, away from my baby and with a mess of a body," she wrote. "The word 'trauma' feels like an understatement."

After being discharged from hospital, Dr Punam received no follow-up or debrief about her situation and described herself as feeling 'broken'. She explained that she was prescribed antidepressants and completed a course of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) after suffering with 'severe' postnatal depression and post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

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This ordeal has inspired Dr Punam to make sure that every one of her 'new mum' patients she sees gets the care and support she needs. She has also backed calls to the UK government to publish a National Maternity Improvement Strategy that would improve the retention of midwives, ensure safe levels of staffing in maternity services, and provide mandatory training on helping mum's with traumatic births.

11 years later and Dr Punam is thriving, currently working with pro dancer Gorka Marquez in a bid to get their hands on the acclaimed Glitterball Trophy. The duo's score dropped slightly, from 19 to 18, in week two - but week three could be lift the dynamic pair needs to avoid elimination.

Strictly Come Dancing airs every Saturday on BBC One.

If you have been affected by the issues raised in this story, help is available. You can visit Mind to learn more about birth trauma and postnatal PTSD.

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