Nick Knowles has revealed he underwent an intense six-week training regime to get himself ready for Strictly - allowing himself to lose a "lot of weight". The DIY SOS star, 61, admitted that he thought he'd be ready to deal with the hard work that comes with the dance training, but said that it was one of the "toughest things [he'd] ever have to do". Speaking to the Mirror ahead of the show launch at the weekend, Nick appeared upbeat as he revealed he had lost 12 kilos as he said:"I’m elated and knackered - those are the two words I’d put together.
It is the most fabulous experience with the most fabulous people but it’s also one of the toughest things that I’ve ever tried to do and I’m literally shattered at the end of every day that we do." Quizzed on whether it was a shock to the system, he said: "Well, to be fair, I’ve been really in heavy training now for six weeks in the lead up to this and I’d lost a lot of weight and did a lot of running and a lot of gym work to get my heart rate down and get fit with it. I thought I’d be ready to deal with it and I’m not ready at all.
If anybody would like to donate their feet I need to change mind because they’ve had it!" The presenter is one of nine men in this series - which features the fewest number of women ever in the show's history. It has been suggested that allegations targeting both professional dancers Graziano Di Prima and Giovanni Pernice may have had an impact on the recruitment for Strictly 2024. A.