Nick Knowles admits he ‘ate all the pies’ as he embraces lockdown weight gain in a wetsuit on DIY SOS

NICK Knowles made light of critics who commented on his weight gain shown on DIY SOS last night by admitting he "ate all the pies".

The presenter, 58, appeared on BBC's Morning Live earlier today to chat about the DIY SOS Children In Need Special that aired yesterday evening.

Nick and his team travelled to Swansea to change the lives of children living by the sea with disabilities and learning difficulties by transforming a bus shelter into a surf centre for them to enjoy.

But despite being on our screens for such a good cause, trolls couldn't help but comment on his weight gain and took to Twitter to let him know about it.

Host of the breakfast programme Gethin Jones touched upon the nasty comments and asked if it annoys him that people can still manage to be so nasty considering he's on a show that has such an important cause.

Nick replied: "No because the thing is I put on a lot of weight during the first lockdown.

"I couldn't do any training, I was doing a lot of writing, a lot of banana bread and I grew a big beard and stayed in and I wrote a lot.

"So when I came to do the shoot I thought 'I'll tidy myself up' and then actually no because so many people, not everybody, did the Joe Wicks thing, not everyone spends half their life in the gym.

"Some people put on a lot of weight and I thought do you know what, first start of the show, let's start with that straight away.

"So the opening scene was me in a wetsuit, literally if I had laid down on the beach the green piece would have dragged me back int the water.

"But like let's embrace it!

"There was a combination of what an amazing job and also who ate all the pies? Well I did. You do whatever you have to do to get through lockdown."

After Boris Johnson put the UK into lockdown back in March, many struggled to keep themselves motivated with exercise and healthy eating.

And Nick isn't the only star to have piled on a few pounds over these uncertain times.

The likes of GMB presenter Piers Morgan, Towie star Fran Parman and Strictly judge Shirley Ballas have also all admitted to putting on a bit of weight over the year.

The Who Dares Wins star told his 156.2K Followers last night: "Yes we are not actors Yes I’m large after lockdown Yes my hair is a mess I don’t care It’s @DIYSOS !!!! Concentrate on the story";

While many commented on his change of appearance, others praised him on all of the hard work he did to help those in need.

One replied to his tweet with: "You missed some things....you care, you’re considerate, you make a difference, and you are a bloody nice bloke!"

Another said: "You are always the loveliest, most handsome fella in our eyes Mr Knowles."

A third added: "You're such a legend Nick. Great attitude to life and your team. Nothing wrong with cuddly."

Gethin also surprised Nick with the total amount that DIY SOS Children In Need managed to raise this year.

He was left speechless and in tears when he was told that the show collected an impressive £844,044 despite the current Covid-19 pandemic.