Nick Knowles’ fiancée warns he’s ‘shell of a man’ since Strictly Come Dancing

The Strictly rehearsals have taken a toll on Nick Knowles (Picture: BBC / Strictly: It Takes Two)

Nick Knowles has been left so ‘exhausted’ by Strictly Come Dancing he has been ‘crawling’ back home, according to his fiancée Katie Dadzie.

The DIY SOS star, 62, previously revealed he had lost two stone due to ‘really tough’ training sessions with his partner Luba Mushtuk, 34.

Now Katie, 33, has warned he has become a ‘shell of a man’ since signing up to the BBC show.

She told Closer Magazine: ‘We knew it would be hard work but he is shattered every day when he comes back. He’s near enough crawling into the house.

When asked if she feared the Strictly curse, the lingerie company founder replied: ‘He is like a shell of a man at the moment – he’s exhausted.

‘I think the last thing on his mind his any kind of Strictly curse.’

Nick’s fiancée Katie said he was the ‘shell’ of himself (Picture: Katie Dadzie/Instagram)

Yesterday, Nick revealed he had sustained a ‘painful’ injury to his arm and shoulder after he ‘hurriedly’ changed his car tyre when he broke down on the side of the motorway.

However, while appearing on last night’s It Takes Two, Nick, who was wearing a sling, remained optimistic he will perform on Saturday.

‘I find out more tomorrow, but I’m fully expecting to go into training and hoping to dance on Saturday,’ he said.

He and Luba, who opened the show last weekend, will be dancing an American smooth for their second routine, providing he gets the all-clear from medics.

Katie said he had been ‘crawling’ back home ‘exhausted’ (Picture: David Fisher/Shutterstock) Katie also rubbished fears Nick would succumb to the Strictly curse (Picture: Instagram/ katie.dadzie)

His update comes after a source said Nick was upset over the prospect of not being able to perform in the live shows and concerned about being forced to pull out, which would be his ‘worst nightmare.’

They told The Sun: ‘It may be possible that he could just miss this weekend and return during the following show but it all hangs on whether the BBC will allow him to do it.

‘Nick knows that he needs to give himself time to recover and that means he won’t be able to train properly with Luba.

‘Having to pull out is Nick’s worst nightmare and he’s incredibly upset.’

Nick also suffered an injury while changing a tyre and it’s unclear if he can perform this weekend (Picture: Guy Levy/BBC/PA Wire)

Nick and Katie were first spotted together in September 2021 and announced their engagement the following year after the TV presenter popped the question on holiday in New Orleans.

Nick divorced his second wife Jessica Rose Moor, the mother of his son Eddie, in 2017 and dated PR guru Emily Hallinan in February 2020 before making things official with Katie.

The broadcaster’s first marriage from 1996 to 200 was to Gillian Knowles. The former couple share daughter Tuesday and son Charlie.

He is also a dad to another son, TJ, who he welcomed while in a relationship with dancer Paula Beckett.

Katie has children of her own outside of her romance with Nick and shares her daughters –  Savannah, eight, and Alex, five – with a previous partner.

Strictly Come Dancing continues on Saturday at 6.15pm on BBC One and iPlayer.

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