Strictly's Nick Knowles say he almost lost fiancée who questioned their entire relationship

Nick Knowles is currently engaged to Katie Dadzie, but has been married before - he split from first wife Gillian in 2000 following an affair, and in 2016 divorced second wife Jessica Moor

Strictly Come Dancing’s Nick Knowles says he almost lost his fiancée who questioned their entire relationship.

The 62-year-old, who has two ex-wives and four children, is hoping it’s third time lucky with his partner Katie Dadzie, who is 28 years his junior. The DIY SOS host popped the question to the lingerie brand owner, 34, over the summer last year following a two-year romance, but their relationship has been far from rosy, and Nick admitted they had a rocky patch when Katie threatened to leave him.

Speaking to The Times, the TV presenter said Katie, who is mum to two daughters from a previous relationship, struggled to deal with Nick’s fame in the early days of their romance, and was devastated when she faced “horrible, racist abuse” from online trolls. “You just get people being properly vile. So you understand when she goes, ‘I don’t know if I want to be around this’,” Nick explained.

He confessed he didn’t try and convince Katie to stay with him because he understood how she felt, and she now tries to avoid being photographed with him for fear of being branded a “gold digger”. Nick continued: “You have to be brave. You can’t let previous difficulties stop you falling in love, because you close yourself off to the possibility of being happy.”

Nick insisted that his wedding to Katie, which is rumoured to be taking place next year, will be his last, and he dismissed questions about his previous marriages in the interview with The Times, as he snapped they weren’t “relevant”. He said it was “odd” that former flames have been discussing what it was like to date him, but he hit back at claims he was a womaniser, and while he’s “had a lot of relationships”, he doesn’t think it was “an abnormal amount”.

Nick candidly spoke about how he feels his work ethic and busy schedule has led to the breakdown of his relationships, and admitted it was “not fun” with him working away for months on end. “People think dating me will be fun, but then I’m away for months on end. Or you ask them to go to a premiere; people think it will be amazing, they get their hair done, then suddenly they’re standing in front of 40 photographers on a red carpet and it’s terrifying. It’s not a glamorous experience at all. It’s really horrible and intense,” he explained.

The TV star’s first marriage to Gillian ended in 2000 amid allegations of an affair with beauty therapist Paula Beckett-Vass. Nick and Gillian, who are parents to daughter Tuesday, 25, and Charlie, 24, bitterly split after the TV star reportedly embarked on an illicit relationship with Paula, which led to the birth of his son TJ, now 24. Following his marriage breakdown, Nick began dating Holby City co-star Suzi Perry, but their romance fizzled out.

The TV presenter then married second wife Jessica Rose, who was 26 years his junior, and they welcomed son Eddie in 2014. Just two years later, they briefly split, and Nick was pictured with Emmerdale ’s Gemma Oaten, but their romance ended when the TV presenter reconciled with Jessica. However, the reunion was shortlived, and Nick’s second marriage ended in divorce.

Follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTubeand Threads.