Nick Knowles set for Strictly hell after revealing ‘chest pains and breathlessness’ from Covid and dislocated shoulder
KNACKERED Nick Knowles could be sending out his own “SOS” as he joins Strictly later this year.
But the TV builder said he isn’t afraid to push himself beyond his physical limits.
In 2022 he got stuck halfway down a cliff face while filming Into the Grand Canyon due to gaining four stone in weight.
Then last year he nearly died in a gyrocopter crash whilst flying over Mount Etna during a shoot for Amazing Railway Adventures.
Reflecting on his daredevil TV stints, Nick, 61, told us at the TV Choice Awards earlier this year: “They’ve all been dangerous.
“Climbing out on 200 foot towers, being dragged up the side of the Grand Canyon with a mile drop.
“I almost died once, it was in a gyrocopter over Mount Etna.
“Seventeen, eighteen years ago I fell out of a truck in Africa and had to be airlifted out
“Swimming in the arctic circle, jumping in the ice – I love all that stuff, it makes you feel alive.
“My shoulders, neck, back, knees, everything is knackered because of accidents over the years, falling off motorbikes – but I consider them a badge of honour.”
Nick shows no signs of slowing down despite last summer becoming engaged to Katie Dadzie, 33.
The Sun revealed he had signed up to Strictly Come Dancing after months of talks – as the dance show was left reeling from celebrities’ claims of abusive behaviour.
He added: “Weirdly I’ve got to this position where in my head, a certain calm comes over you and you think, I’m in this thing and there’s absolutely nothing I can do about it.
“I’m 61 now and it’s about going out and doing some adventure rather than sitting on the couch – instead I’m going to do something extraordinary.
“Everytime I get into something hairy, I think ‘I’ve come all the way here and I’m supposed to be having a go, so you have to have a go no matter how terrifying it is”.
Nick told us last year us how he gained weight during lockdown but has dropped a couple of stone since and is desperate to keep it off.
The DIY SOS star said he still experiences chest pains, fatigue and breathlessness after a nasty brush with Covid at the start of the pandemic.
He said: “I must have put on about 3 stone. At my heaviest, I was around 19 stone and I’m back down to about 17 stone.
“So I’m about half a stone over where I want to be. But I’m a big unit anyway. I’m 6ft 2 and I’ve got a 50-inch chest!”
“I was literally wiped out,” he said.
“I had just no energy and felt like I was operating on about 50 to 60% of my normal amount of energy and getting out of breath easily.
“I had about a year where I was heavily overweight but I had to be gentle with myself when I had the long Covid because it’s a viral thing and you can’t just fight against it.
“You have to wait until your body is ready to recover.
“But I also understood that if I were patient and waited, there would come a time when I would be able to start training again and get the weight off. I just had to be kind to myself in the period in between.”
He has previously been the target of trolls and was forced to address his weight gain after fans pointed it out when he appeared in a wetsuit for a Children In Need special.
He said: “When I came to do the shoot I thought ‘I’ll tidy myself up’ but not everybody does the Joe Wicks thing and spends half their life in the gym.
“So the opening scene was me in a wetsuit and I did get comments like “who ate all the pies” but I was like ‘let’s embrace it! ‘
“I am not an actor and yes I’m large, especially straight after lockdown and, yes my hair is a mess but I don’t care!”
Strictly's Full Scandal So Far
Strictly Come Dancing's scandal has been growing over the past few months, with several major players speaking out about what went on. Here are the key moments of what's happened so far
16th May: Giovanni Pernice sensationally quits Strictly Come Dancing after nine years on the show.
17th May: Giovanni becomes the centre of an official investigation after three former partners – believed to be Amanda Abbington, Laura Whitmore and Ranvir Singh – make complaints to the BBC.
16th June: Giovanni releases an official statement vowing to clear his name and denies any wrongdoing.
8th July: Strictly confirms Aljaz Skorjanec will return to the series, replacing Giovanni, after initially quitting the show two years ago.
10th July: Amanda Abbington launches fresh legal proceedings to get the rehearsal footage from her time with Giovanni, after allegedly he refused to release the videos.
13th July: Graziano Di Prima is axed from Strictly for “gross misconduct” after footage of his treatment of Zara McDermott is brought to the attention of the BBC.
Graziano quickly broke his silence, apologising for his behaviour in a statement and saying he “deeply regrets it”, adding his “intense passion and determination to win might have affected his training regime.”
15th July: Strictly bosses implement new duty of care protocols, including having a chaperone present throughout all rehearsals.
16th July: Zara McDermott speaks out publicly for first time. She states while the production team were “amazing to work with”, she found the rehearsal room “completely different”, confirming there’s footage of “certain situations”.
19th July: Anton Du Beke is put under the spotlight for his “1970s attitude” and treatment of female celeb stars, particularly after allegedly referring to 2009 partner Laila Rouass as a “p***” after getting a spray tan.
21st July: Paralympian Will Bayley, who has limb condition arthrogryposis, revealed he was encouraged to leap from a table during a dance routine, despite fears. The stunt caused an injury that forced him to withdraw from the show.
22nd July: MasterChef’s Gregg Wallace admits he broke down in tears and got a nasty stress rash on his face during his time on Strictly in 2014.
23rd July: Celebrity agent Melanie Blake claims she was sexually assaulted by an unnamed pro dancer while backstage on the show, and claims she witnessed ageism, rudeness and a rough treatment to the point of injury.
23rd July: BBC boss Tim Davie breaks his silence on the ongoing allegations against Strictly, saying he is ‘deeply sorry’, adding: “Hundreds of people, be they pros, contestants or crew have been part of it and had a brilliant experience.
“At the same time if someone thinks there was something wrong or they want to talk about their experience then of course we want them to raise that with us. Be in no doubt we will take it seriously, listen and deal with it as appropriate.”