Krishnan Guru-Murthy has revealed that Strictly has left him prone to crying and made him a "jibbering old wreck".
The Channel 4 news presenter has spoken out about the "profound" change the series has had on his life after telling Strictly's Claudia Winkleman on Sunday's show that his wife thought he "might not have been happy for 35 years".
On Thursday he told presenter Janette Manrara that his candid comment "wasn’t a joke".
"It’s [Strictly's] been a genuinely profound experience," he said.
"You hit middle age and quite a lot of your life is about other people, it’s about work, it’s about your kids, and you don’t necessarily do stuff that you love.
"And to do something that you love suddenly releases a wave of emotion and endorphins.
"I’ve turned into one of those gibbering old men who suddenly get in touch with their emotions and cry all the time," he admitted. "There’s something in the balance of great fun and great seriousness, which is what I do the rest of the time, which allows you to be happy."
The 53-year-old and his dance-pro partner Lauren Oakley danced a Paso Doble to By The Way by the Red Hot Chili Peppers on Saturday night and received 28 points.
Before the series kicked off Guru-Murthy shared concerns that he could drop dead on Strictly.
The 53-year-old struggles with “various health issues’, including hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, which caused the deaths of two of his cousins.
“I’ve got various health issues, which I’m constantly aware of," he told The Guardian in September. "I’ve got a genetic heart condition – hypertrophic cardiomyopathy – which has killed two of my cousins, Crohn’s disease, and various other things I won’t bore you with.
“I even asked my cardiologist if I might drop dead live on BBC One. No, was his answer – but he couldn’t give me an absolute guarantee,” he added.
“I have to be careful of raising my heartbeat into the red zone; that final 15 per cent. I shouldn’t go there. It’s where people with my condition drop dead.”
Guru-Murthy said he has been asked “to do these sorts of shows for years", but decided to finally take part after his wife Lisa who encouraged him to get out his comfort zone.
