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STRICTLY SOS
Nick Knowles waiting to find out fate on Strictly following MRI scan after injuring arm while changing tyre on motorway
The motorway emergency also meant he missed his own birthday party
STRICTLY’S Nick Knowles will find out this morning if he can dance on after injuring his left arm while changing a tyre.
The DIY SOS star missed his 62nd birthday bash after breaking down on a motorway on Sunday.
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Hours earlier he and pro Luba Mushtuk impressed judges with a debut jive.
Nick, seen in a sling yesterday, said of the pain: “I was like, ‘It’s fine’ . . . then it got worse and worse.”
He will meet the show’s physio this morning to learn his fate following an MRI scan.
Nick, 62, last Saturday, damaged his bicep the next day while rushing to change a tyre with his young son in the car.
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The motorway emergency also meant the DIY SOS star missed his own birthday party.
Our exclusive pictures show him in a sling yesterday as he and fiancée Katie Dadzie, 33, headed for a scan on the arm at London’s Harley Street.
Afterwards Nick headed to Elstree Studios to focus on his routine should he be cleared for Saturday.
Pals said Nick — paired with Russian pro Luba Mushtuk, 34 — is desperate to battle on in the show after he fell in love with dancing.
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A source said: “Nick will learn today whether he can stay on Strictly. He has been booked in with the physio who works on the show and they will determine whether or not he can carry on.
“The best-case scenario is that he can heal quickly and dance, or possibly he could miss this week’s show and return next week.
Nick Knowles breaks silence on nasty injury and reveals what happened - and if he'll return to Strictly training
“But if the physio decides that carrying on would do more harm than good then Nick may have to pull out altogether.
“Nick is gutted but there is nothing he can do but wait and hope for the best. He is so keen to push on and thinks he can manage, even if he has got an injury.
“He puts 110 per cent into everything he does and Strictly is a challenge that he is enjoying so much. To have to miss a week or even pull out of the competition is his worst nightmare.
“Nick is a fighter and he will do everything he can to make sure he is back on the dancefloor.”
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Earlier yesterday Nick, who has four children from his two previous marriages, shared a video revealing details about the accident.
He then updated fans on spin-off show It Takes Two last night.
He said: “It was my birthday and I had a big family birthday.
“I went to get my ten-year-old son to bring him back to the party, but we broke down on the motorway with a flat tyre. It was raining and there were big lorries going past, so I tried to do it quickly.
Strictly 2024 Week One Scoreboard
Here's how the first week scoreboard looked:
- JB and Amy = 31
- Tasha and Aljaz = 30
- Sarah and Vito = 30
- Wynne and Katya = 26
- Montell and Johannes = 26
- Shayne and Nancy = 23
- Jamie and Michelle = 23
- Chris and Dianne = 23
- Sam and Nikita = 21
- Dr Punam and Gorka = 19
- Tom and Nadiya = 18
- Nick and Luba = 18
- Pete and Jowita = 17
- Paul and Karen = 17
- Toyah and Neil = 12
“As I took the tyre off, I basically damaged my bicep and arm.
“I just want to say thank you to the two policemen from Taplow who turned up and helped me get the tyre back on.”
Speaking about the pain, Nick added: “I went on, and I was like, ‘OK, it’s fine, I’ve hurt it but it’s OK. Then it got worse and worse and worse, and I actually missed my birthday party, because of being stuck on the motorway.”
Nick and Luba are due to perform an American Smooth to Blur’s Parklife on Saturday.
She has already worked out how they can get around Nick’s injury if he does get the go-ahead.
Nick is gutted but there is nothing he can do but wait and hope for the best
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Pointing at his sling, Luba told the spin-off show: “First, I think we’ll sparkle this part. We still have a perfect position on his right arm, and we’ve got to do perfect footwork. We might even do a lift on his right arm. I’ll make it work.”
A pal added: “Nick and Luba have a great connection and she has been supporting him. Other contestants including Wynne Evans have been sending Nick messages to keep his chin up.”
Nick and Luba impressed during the first live show last Saturday — scoring 18 points out of 40 for their jive to Starship’s We Built This City.
Judge Anton Du Beke said they were “uplifting”.
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This Saturday night’s show will be the first time fans can vote to save acts.
On Sunday viewers will see who will be sent packing — with Toyah Willcox, partnered with Neil Jones, and Pete Wicks, with Jowita Przystał — favourites to go first.
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