‘I’m so old, it’s my last chance to go on Strictly’
DIY SOS star Nick Knowles has said this year’s series of Strictly Come Dancing was his “last chance physically” to take part in the show.
The 61-year-old, who lives in Gloucestershire, said he “wouldn’t be able” to perform on the BBC dancing show if he “left it any longer”.
He said his advancing years were one of his reasons for joining the show, while a Strictly and DIY SOS collaboration – which saw the programme’s team build an all-ability drama and dance school in the North East – also made him “beg” to go on the show.
Speaking about his reasons for taking part in this year’s series, Knowles said: “I’m so old, if I left it any longer I wouldn’t be able to.
“I think this is my last chance physically to be able to do it, so that was a good reason.
“But because we did a Strictly and DIY SOS collaboration last year, built a place, an all-ability drama dance school up in the North East, I then begged Anton to get me on the show.”
His professional partner Luba Mushtuk also revealed she had already danced with the star on the set of the collaborative show.
She said: “I basically danced with him and he really enjoyed it, and so he wanted to be a part of Strictly.
“It’s wonderful, he’s a very knowledgeable man, he’s very strong as well.
“It’s still the beginning, but I think we’re going to be a great team.”
He went on to say that he felt his DIY SOS team would “rip” him for wearing spray tan and sequins when he returned to them.
Knowles said: “Because I’ve got two DIY specials to do, big builds to do during the course of this process, if I stay in longer, and when I turn up on site having worn sequins the night before with a spray tan, I don’t think they’re going to mention it, I think it’s going to be easy.
“I’m going to get ripped, I’m going to get absolutely ripped.
“You know what my lads are like on SOS, they’ve spent 25 years teasing me.
“Julian recently said to me, I had a cold and I had a beanie hat on, and he stood there looking at me for a little while, and he went ‘you’d be nothing without your hair’.
“So that’s the level of support that I’m looking to find from my building team. They’re just going to rip into me, but they’re also going to be super supportive as well. I know they are.”