It’s just a week into Strictly Come Dancing‘s live shows and the cast have already been hit by injury that could see one star have to sit out their second performance.
Nick Knowles was hit by some incredible bad luck last weekend, injuring his arm the day after his ballroom debut. He is now in a sling and is yet to confirm whether he will be able to dance in the BBC One show this weekend.
Currently, DIY SOS presenter Knowles and his partner Luba Mushtuk are in third last place on the leaderboard with 18 points, followed by Paul Merson and Pete Wicks who are joint second last on 17 points, and Toyah Willcox who has the lowest score of just 12 points.
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The TV star will have been hoping to pick up valuable points on Saturday as the scores from the first two weeks are combined for the first elimination, but even if he is able to dance, his injury will have been a huge setback in training.
Here’s everything we know so far about whether Knowles will dance this weekend – and what happens to his competition if he can’t.
What happened to Nick Knowles?
Knowles was hoping to celebrate his 62nd birthday – as well as getting through his Strictly debut – last Sunday, but had some car trouble on the motorway as he was driving to the party.
He tried to change a flat tyre at the side of the road, but ended up badly injuring his arm as he explained to fans in an Instagram post on Monday.
Later that evening, Knowles appeared on Strictly spin-off show It Takes Two, where he explained: “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 and change the tyre quickly, and as I took the tyre off I basically damaged my bicep and damaged my arm…
“And then I went on and I was like, ‘It’s fine, I’ve hurt it but I’m OK’ and then it got worse and worse and worse. I actually missed my birthday party because of being stuck on the motorway.”
What has Nick Knowles said about his chances of taking part in Strictly this week?
Despite sporting a sling and missing his own birthday party, Knowles has been staying positive all week about his chances of dancing on Saturday night. On Monday, he told fans on social media: “Not ideal, but I’m convinced not something that’s going to stop me dancing this weekend.”
Later, Knowles told It Takes Two of whether he would still be able to compete: “I am hopeful, I am hopeful. I will find out more tomorrow but I am fully expecting to go into training and I am really hopeful that I will be dancing on Saturday.”
Adding that he might need to lift Mushtuk with one arm during the routine, he said: “If I do my best and people can see that I am really really trying, then hopefully the audience will get behind me and that will make a difference.”
On Tuesday, Knowles offered his Instagram followers further details after missing a day of training. He wrote: “Arm update! Today I have seen Dr’s and Physio’s who have been wonderful. I’ve had scans (I’ll spare you the grim details) and although it’s feeling a bit better today, the issue is, we don’t know if I can actually use my arm to dance.
“So tomorrow, I’m going to rehearsals with @lubamushtuk and the physio to see just what my arm can do. Then the medics will make a call on if they think I can continue dancing. I am still really hopeful that I’ll be able to dance this weekend. So fingers crossed…”
Knowles filmed himself heading into training on Wednesday and said that Mushtuk had been putting together a routine that he would be able to manage around his injury.
He said: “I’m really, really hoping that we find out I can dance on Saturday, I’d really like to stay part of the competition.”
In Knowles’ most recent social media update, he shared that he was expecting to hear the final call on whether he could dance by Thursday afternoon, saying: “I’m doing my level best to get there, keeping my fingers crossed. So hopefully see you Saturday.”
What treatment has Nick Knowles had for his injury?
Knowles is throwing everything at his recovery, having been to a range of doctor appointments, scans and physiotherapy this week. He told fans in an Instagram video: “My arm’s in a sling to make sure it’s resting when I’m not using it.”
The TV star added that he had been soaking his arm in the bath after training and said: “Shoulder is repairing very well. I saw a great physio today too so that’s helped enormously.”
However, Knowles’ first update on his injury caused some controversy as he said that he was headed to Harley Street for some “top medical advice”, the London location of some of the city’s most exclusive private healthcare.
One person commented on his post: “Must be nice to be able to go to Harley Street to get an assessment and scan whenever you want it. Most people would be on the phone for hours hoping to get through to the GP surgery or sat in A&E only to be put on a waiting list for a scan. Oh, how the other half live.”
But Knowles told his fans he was “not offended”, explaining: “Yes you’re right – it is. I’ve lived in my car occasionally & on other peoples sofas at times over last 40 years to keep at TV when it wasn’t paying but recently I’ve done well & been able to pay people back & look after my family including private healthcare. I’m very lucky.”
What happens if Strictly contestants are injured or ill?
Strictly contestants sign up to demanding training schedules and ambitious routines, so it’s no surprise that most seasons somebody ends up injured or ill.
Usually, the TV contest gives celebrities a bye if they need to miss a week of competition to recover and they will simply resume their competition the following week.
However, sometimes an injury is too bad to return – for example, Will Bayley hurt his knee so badly during training that he had to leave the 2019 series and even needed surgery later.
During the 2020 season, Nicola Adams was forced to withdraw from the contest after being diagnosed with COVID.
Pro dancers have also had to sit out weeks in the past. In 2019, Alex Scott’s partner Neil Jones was injured, but she was still able to take part as Kevin Clifton stood in at the last minute.
Strictly Come Dancing continues on BBC One at 6.15pm on Saturday.