Yahoo News Nick Knowles explains unrecognisable look after trolling over beard
The DIY SOS star told Lorraine Kelly why he had gone for a more rugged look recently.
Watch: Nick Knowles explains his unrecognisable appearance after sending fans wild
What did you miss?
Nick Knowles has explained why he went for such a different look recently that left him "unrecognisable" to fans.
The DIY SOS presenter appeared on The One Show on Monday but was met with trolling over his beard and weight as viewers claimed they would not have known it was him.
Now, Knowles has explained to Lorraine Kelly why he decided to go for a fuller beard, and showed off his newly-trimmed version of it.
What, how and why?
When Nick Knowles appeared on The One Show earlier this week, viewers claimed they would not have recognised him as he had grown a bushy beard and gained a few pounds. In an appearance on Thursday's Lorraine, Knowles debuted a new trimmed-down beard and talked about the trolling he had received over his different look.
He said: "I'm 61, as the internet pointed out over the last few days, I'm a little bit overweight. Because I've grown this beard and I wore a shirt that was a little bit too tight, I'm now literally on the internet, 'Jabba the Hutt'."
But host Lorraine Kelly reassured him: "You look gorgeous, you look outdoorsy, but your beard has caused a hoo-ha."
He replied: "I don't know what it is. When a man gets a chance to grow a beard because he's not filming, what you do is you grow a big beard and then you cut it off in stages, so you go through all the various different looks and you end up with a (Australian cricketer) Merv Hughes, the big handlebars."
Kelly said: "I think you suit it, and I like facial hair on a fella," as she reached over to give his beard a stroke.
What did viewers say about Nick Knowles?
When Knowles had appeared on The One Show on Monday, one viewer commented on social media: "Wow I don’t recognise him." "Nick Knowles is totally unrecognisable," agreed another.
Someone else posted: "If I hadn’t heard his voice I’m not sure I’d have recognised that man as Nick Knowles." "What’s happened to Nick Knowles?" asked another surprised viewer.
One joked that the presenter was "going for the WWE look", as another quipped: "When did Nick Knowles turn into Brian Blessed?"
Knowles later opened up about his looks following his appearance on The One Show. He told The Mirror: "There are lots of people making adventure programmes and a lot of them, like Bear Grylls, are young, they’re super fit. “I’m 61 now and it’s no great surprise that I’m a bit overweight. Even putting on a wetsuit and appearing on telly… you can’t worry."
What else happened on Lorraine?
TV star Knowles also spoke about recently getting engaged to his partner Katie Dadzie at the end of filming for his new US travel series, The Mighty Mississippi.
Smitten Knowles told how he had realised it was the perfect time to propose - but had to improvise as he didn't have a ring with him. He said: "I was missing Katie and because it had been such a long time, she flew out to New Orleans to meet me there."
Knowles added of getting engaged: "I didn't have a ring with me, so I got a Haribo, one of those dummy-shaped ones, and I used a pair of nail scissors to cut the end off and create a little jewel on the top."
Lorraine airs on ITV at 9am on weekdays.
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