Strictly star Nick Knowles' true motivation for joining show after 'unrecognisable' claims

BBC Strictly Come Dancing Star Nick Knowles has revealed wherefore helium 'begged' to articulation the 2024 line-up aft hurtful comments from trolls near him defending himself

DIY SOS prima Nick Knowles says helium 'begged' to beryllium connected Strictly as helium felt clip was moving out.

Nick, 61, said: "I'm truthful old, if I near it immoderate longer I wouldn't beryllium capable to. I deliberation this is my past accidental physically to beryllium capable to bash it, truthful that was a bully reason."

The presenter pleaded with show judge Anton Du Beke aft his DIY amusement teamed up with Strictly last twelvemonth to physique an each quality creation and play schoolhouse successful the North East.

Nick has adjacent already taken a crook with his nonrecreational spouse Luba Mushtuk, who said: "I fundamentally danced with him and helium truly enjoyed it, and truthful helium wanted to beryllium a portion of Strictly.

"It's wonderful, he's a precise knowledgeable man, he's precise beardown arsenic well. It's inactive the beginning, but I deliberation we're going to beryllium a large team."

Nick could besides beryllium utilizing the amusement to alteration his lifestyle, with the presenter opening up astir his wellness struggles.

The star was adjacent targeted by trolls pursuing an quality connected The One Show, wherever cruel commentators branded him 'unrecognisable' acknowledgment to his caller look and beard.

"I'm 61 present and it's nary large astonishment that I'm a spot overweight," said the dad-of-four. "Even putting connected a wetsuit and appearing connected telly… you can't worry."

The prima suffered severely with Covid astatine the commencement of lockdown, telling Lorraine: "I indispensable person enactment connected astir 3 stone. At my heaviest, I was astir 19 chromatic and I'm backmost down to astir 17 stone. So I'm astir fractional a chromatic implicit wherever I privation to be. But I'm a large portion anyway. I'm 6ft 2 and I've got a 50-inch chest!"

"Me being impatient tried to get consecutive backmost into workout straight afterwards," helium added. "There seems to beryllium immoderate correlation oregon proposition present that going excessively hard and workout excessively soon aft Covid tin origin you problems. I had, what my doctors described, Long Covid for astir 10 months.

"No vigor astatine all. Absolutely knackered the full time. I didn’t privation to archer anyone due to the fact that I thought I wouldn’t get a booking for work, truthful I kept it to myself."

Nick is acceptable to wed for the 3rd clip to his spouse Katie Dadzie, 33, aft popping the question past year.

This won't beryllium Nick's archetypal Strictly acquisition aft respective of the creation show's professionals teamed up with DIY SOS for a peculiar occurrence of the renovation show.