Strictly Come Dancing star Nick Knowles could miss out on the chance to compete during week two of the live shows after injuring his arm and shoulder over the weekend.
On Saturday night, Knowles and partner Luba Mushtuk performed the Jive to We Built This City by Starship and scored a steady 18 from the judges – however, this landed them near the bottom of the leaderboard.
Despite their positive start, Knowles and Mushtuk may not be putting their best foot forward on Saturday night as the DIY SOS star suffered an injury after breaking down on the motorway over the weekend.
The 62-year-old revealed the news on his Instagram account on Monday morning and said: “Good morning, I thought I’d give a little update, as you can see my arm is in a sling and that is because at the weekend my car broke down at the side of the motorway and I had my little boy in the car.
“So I wanted to change the tyre as quickly as I possibly could to make sure we were safe and in the process of hurrying to get the wheel off, I managed to damage my shoulder and arm a little bit.
“I am not sure how or what but it’s been quite painful. A little better this morning but I am on my way up to London, to Harley Street to get a scan done and get some top medical advice, but I am heading to training afterwards to learn the steps of my next dance.
“I will see you on It Takes Two a bit later today where hopefully I will be able to update you but I will keep you posted during the day anyway. Not ideal but I am convinced it is not something that is not going to stop me dancing this weekend.”
Knowles and Mushtuk joined Janette Manrara on the first It Takes Two episode last night, where he gave a concerning update about his recovery and his hope to perform on Saturday night.
Before discussing their first dance, Manrara noted: “We need to go straight into this because you have posted on your social media about this situation, which is clearly happening. Your arm is in a sling, you went to see a specialist today, so you have got some bit of information, tell us what happened?”
Knowles admitted: “Okay so it was my birthday on Saturday and I had a big birthday get-together on Sunday. I went to get my 10-year-old son and bring him back to the party but we broke down on the motorway with a flat tyre.
Nick Knowles and Luba Mushtuk appeared on the first It Takes Two episode last night
BBC
“It was raining and there were big lorries going past, I tried to do it quickly and change it quickly, and as I took the tyre off I damaged my bicep and damaged my 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, they were lovely.
“Then I went on, I was like, ‘Okay I have hurt it, but it’s okay,’ and then it got worse and worse. I actually missed my birthday party because of being stuck on the motorway.”
“At this stage, we don’t know if you are going to be able to dance on Saturday,” Manrara said before Knowles interjected: “I’m hopeful! I will find out more tomorrow, but I am fully expecting to go into training and I am hopeful I will be dancing.”
A source told The Sun: “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.
Nick Knowles and Luba Mushtuk received a score of 18 from the judges
BBC
“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.
“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.”