Nick Knowles pulls out of Strictly after rehearsal injury: A timeline of his health struggles

Nick Knowles has been forced to pull out of this weekend's Strictly Come Dancing live show after sustaining an injury in rehearsal - and it's the latest in a series of health woes for the TV presenter

Nick Knowles has been dealt a severe setback, having to withdraw from Strictly this weekend due to an injury sustained in rehearsal. The host of DIY SOS reportedly took a tumble in a dress rehearsal for Saturday's Strictly Come Dancing live show and is now relying on crutches to get around.

Knowles' string of health misfortunes started back in 2014 when an innocuous sneeze led to a ruptured artery in his sinus. Attributing the incident to high stress levels at the time, Knowles shared: "I was on the way to doing to myself what my father had done to himself. So I went to a retreat in Thailand. I took up yoga, became vegan, and they've worked well for me."

He has not been shy of danger either, with several injuries resulting from risky TV stunts. Speaking with The Sun, the TV star recounted escaping death in a gyrocopter crash over Mount Etna while filming Amazing Railway Adventures and said: "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.", reports Birmingham Live.

Nevertheless, such a thrill-seeking lifestyle has come at a cost for Nick: "My shoulders, neck, back, knees, everything is knackered because of accidents over the years," he admits, considering these scars as "a badge of honour".

Like so many, he's struggled to bounce back after a severe case of Covid. Chest pains, fatigue, and shortness of breath have persisted long since he contracted the virus early in the pandemic.

"I was literally wiped out," he disclosed. "I had just no energy and felt like I was operating on about 50 to 60 percent 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."

He kept his symptoms under wraps for 10 months, fearing it might affect his career: "I didn't want to tell anyone because I thought I wouldn't get a booking for work," he confessed. "I kept it to myself."

Now, as Nick bears his various wounds, he's facing another challenge. His participation in Strictly Come Dancing was up in the air after a bicep injury incurred while changing a car tyre threw a spanner in the works.

With his arm slung up, it was touch-and-go whether he'd make it onto the dance floor with partner Luba Mushtuk, only confirming his ability to perform at the eleventh hour. Nick has found training for Strictly to be among the most "toughest" experiences of his life. The injury is set to test the 62 year old daredevil even further.

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