Gaurav Khanna explains decision to quit Khatron Ke Khiladi, calls exit painful

Actor Gaurav Khanna has said his decision to quit Khatron Ke Khiladi 15 was "painful", after his exit from the Rohit Shetty-hosted show surprised viewers and fellow contestants. The 44-year-old left the stunt-based reality series despite winning the elimination task, citing an elbow injury. His decision saved Ruhaanika Dhawan, who had lost the stunt.In a vlog shot in Cape Town, where the show was filmed, Khanna said he believed he could have gone further in the competition but chose to prioritise his recovery. He said the possibility of upcoming stunts involving electrocution could worsen the pain in his elbow and affect the strength in his right arm.In his vlog, Khanna said he won the stunt but decided not to continue because of his injury. He said, "I thought that I don't want to continue because if any new stunt involves electrocution, then it will trigger my elbow pain excruciatingly. Then I will not have the full power in my right elbow. That is really painful. But what was more painful was the decision to leave the show at this juncture."He added, "When I returned again, I thought I cannot take this anymore because moving forward it can hamper my recovery. I am packing now; it has been a lovely experience. I could have gone forward, but I didn't want to take more on my recovery phase. I have also been requested to travel safely." What happened in the elimination stuntIn the latest episode, Khanna, Ruhaanika Dhawan and Rubina Dilaik faced the elimination stunt. Before attempting it, Khanna had expressed his wish to quit the show and said he wanted to return home. However, after Rohit Shetty and the other contestants encouraged him, he went ahead with the task.Khanna completed the stunt and emerged as the winner. In the task, he pulled out two flags, while Rubina Dilaik pulled out one. Ruhaanika could not complete the stunt and was set to be eliminated. But after winning, Khanna said, "Firstly, I’m very sorry. I didn’t intentionally say that I wanted to abort this stunt. I later found out that Ruhanika had also spoken about wanting to abort it." He then explained why he still wanted to leave the show. Khanna said, "Even though I have won it, I would still want to take an exit from the show because I know it is affecting my health. And I don’t want to upset you like this anymore, because I know that the standard of stunts on this show is at a completely different level." He added, "And if I’m not 100 per cent physically fit, I don’t want to take the place of someone else who is 100 per cent ready."Emotional farewell on the showKhanna became emotional as he apologised to Rohit Shetty, his fellow contestants and his fans and said he had entered the show with the ambition of winning it. He broke down in tears, hugged Shetty and touched his feet before leaving. Ruhaanika also tried to convince him to reconsider his decision, but he remained firm and said his elbow injury would not allow him to give the competition his 100 per cent.This season of Khatron Ke Khiladi was built around the theme 'Old vs New: Darr Ka Naya Daur'. It featured returning contestants including Rubina Dilaik, Rithvik Dhanjani, Vishal, Karan Wahi and Jasmin Bhasin, along with fresh faces such as Avinash Mishra, Farrhana Bhatt, Orry, Ruhaanika Dhawan and Gaurav Khanna.On the personal front, Gaurav Khanna and his wife, Akanksha Chamola, are getting divorced after nine years of marriage. Professionally, the actor is yet to announce his next project. Before Khatron Ke Khiladi 15, Gaurav Khanna won Celebrity MasterChef India and Bigg Boss 19.- EndsPublished By: Priyanka SharmaPublished On: Sep 15, 2026 13:05 IST