NICK Knowles is the latest Strictly signing to be revealed – and it appears he’s motivated by more than just the Glitterball prize.
We announced last night how the popular DIY SOS host, 61, has put pen to paper with the under fire BBC show.
While he’s a big fan of the show and always open to a challenge, there’s another factor behind the decision to take part.
Speaking in an unpublished interview from last year, the TV star admitted he was keen to shift some timber after putting on weight during lockdown.
And what better way to lighten the load than by competing in the most gruelling of entertainment shows.
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!”
Nick’s brush with the virus happened at the start of the pandemic back in 2020 and took him the best part of a year to recover.
“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.”
The DIY SOS star still experiences chest pains, fatigue and breathlessness.
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!”
Nick finally agreed to take part in Strictly after months of talks — as the dance show was left reeling from celebrities’ claims of abusive behaviour.
He put a clip of his footwork on Instagram in March last year — with one fan commenting: “I see Strictly Come Dancing on the horizon.”
A source said: “Nick has always loved Strictly and he is so excited.
“He’s got a great personality, is incredibly driven and competitive and is up for giving anything a crack. He’s going on the show to entertain and to win. He’ll give it his best shot.”
Nick will be competing against a host of other celebs including fellow Beeb star, EastEnders actor Jamie Borthwick, 30.
He plays Jay Brown on the soap and won the Strictly festive edition last year.
We also revealed last month that social media star Grace Keeling, 24 — known as GK Barry online — is in advanced talks to sign up.
Last year, dad-of-four Nick teamed up with some of the dance show’s pros, including Katya Jones and Luba Mushtuk, for a Strictly special of his home makeover series DIY SOS.
They renovated a performing arts school in Wallsend, North Tyneside.
In 2022, the star — set to marry for the third time after getting engaged last year to Katie Dadzie, 34 — hinted at what it takes to win Strictly.
He chimed in when fans were discussing how CBBC star Molly Rainford — a trained dancer — was in the bottom two, while ex-Arsenal captain Tony Adams breezed through.
He posted: “@bbcstrictly is an entertainment show not strictly a dancing competition — otherwise those that went to drama college & learned dance would have an unfair advantage.
“It’s the one who connects with the audience that wins.”
Strictly is set to return in September despite the ongoing probes into dancers including Giovanni Pernice and Graziano Di Prima, over their conduct towards celebrity partners on the show.
Nick and Strictly were asked to comment.
Chris McCausland – Comedian, 47
GK Barry – YouTube star, 24
Dave Fishwick – Businessman and TV star, 53
Martin Roberts – TV presenter, 60
Danny Cipriani – Rugby ace, 36
Roman Kemp – TV and radio presenter, 31
Hannah Waddingham – Actress, 49
Helen Worth – Actress, 73
