BBC Strictly Come Dancing star dealt crushing blow hours before launch show
Strictly Come Dancing contestant Nick Knowles is facing a tough time ahead of the BBC show's kick-off. The much-anticipated Saturday night will see celebrities including Nick paired up with their dance partners, gracing the dance floor for the very first time.
The glitzy roster alongside Nick features Chris McCausland, JB Gill, Wynne Evans, Toyah Willcox, Dr. Punam Krishan, Tasha Ghouri, Pete Wicks, Shayne Ward, Sarah Hadland, Jamie Borthwick, Tom Dean MBE, Montell Douglas, Paul Merson, and Sam Quek.
Returning to flaunt their fancy footwork on the dance floor are seasoned professional dancers Dianne Buswell, Nadiya Bychkova, Amy Dowden, Karen Hauer, Katya Jones, Neil Jones, Nikita Kuzmin, Gorka Marquez, Luba Mushtuk, Jowita Przystal, Johannes Radebe, Kai Widdrington, Nancy Xu, Carlos Gu, Lauren Oakley, Michelle Tsiakkas, and Vito Coppola, reports the Express.
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They'll be cheered on by Aljaz Skorjanec as he makes his big comeback to join the Strictly Come Dancing Ballroom lineup in this brand-new series.
Despite the lack of eliminations this week, bookies have wasted no time drumming up predictions about which celebrity might face an early exit - and speculation suggests the DIY SOS star should brace for the worst.
Chad Yeomans, spokesperson at Betway, told Express.co.uk: “We can’t split Nick Knowles, Paul Merson and Wynne Evans in the odds and make them all joint favourites at 4/1 to be first out of this year’s Strictly competition.
"All three don't appear to be your stereotypical dancers and may struggle for rhythm and grace and are therefore most likely to be quickstepping off the Strictly stage early on!”
At the other end of the predictions are Sam, Shayne, and Tasha are the least favourite to be eliminated first.
When speaking about his stint on the show, Nick said: "I’m so, so excited to be doing Strictly this year. People may be more used to me getting stuck in on a building site or travelling the world, but dancing live on TV will be a whole new adventure.
"I've spent my whole life learning new skills and I've never been afraid of a challenge - there's life in the old dog yet to take on one more big one being taught how to dance! I'll give it my everything .... and try not to embarrass my kids of course!"
For the past 24 years, Nick has been a familiar face on the BBC's BAFTA-winning DIY SOS. In addition to this, the television personality has always had a passion for travel and recently collaborated with Channel 5 on a variety of travel programmes including Into the Grand Canyon, The Mighty Mississippi, and Nick Knowles in South America.
Over the last two decades, The TV star has hosted a wide range of formats covering news, factual, travel, and entertainment, establishing himself as one of the UK's most recognisable faces on television.
Strictly Come Dancing will be back on BBC One this Saturday.