Strictly’s Nick Knowles, 62, sparks fears he may QUIT the show as he reveals his arm is in a sling after suffering a nasty injury

Nick Knowles has sparked concerns over his possible withdrawal from Strictly Come Dancing 2024 after suffering a nasty arm injury that left him in a sling.

The 62-year-old DIY SOS star made his debut on the BBC show on Monday, alongside his professional partner Luba Mushtuk.

As Nick prepared to resume training for his second dance, he shared with his Instagram followers that he injured his arm and shoulder while changing a tire on his car after crashing on the side of the road.

In a video shared on Monday, Nick said he was heading to the Harley Street Clinic to have a scan, hoping to update fans on the status of his injury ahead of his performance on It Takes Two that night.

But he promised that ‘nothing would stop him from dancing’ ahead of the second live show this weekend.

Nick shared a video of his arm in a sling and said: ‘I thought I would give a little update. I am in a sling and it is because my car broke down on the side of the motorway.

‘My son was in the car, so I wanted to change the tire as quickly as possible so we would be safe.

‘And while I was trying to get the wheel off as quickly as possible, because there was a big wheel on my big car, I lightly hit my shoulder and arm.

‘I don’t know exactly how or what but it’s been quite painful. Although it’s been a bit better this morning so I’m heading up to London to Harley St to get a scan and some top medical advice but I’m heading to training afterwards so I can learn the steps for my next dance.

‘And I’ll see you later today on It Takes Two where I’ll hopefully have more information and be able to update you, but I’ll keep you updated throughout the day. Not ideal, but I’m confident that nothing will stop me from dancing this weekend.’

During his first performance on Strictly, Nick and Luba scored 18 points with their jive danced to We Built This City by Starship.

Nick stayed true to his roots during his jive to We Built This City, wearing a sparkly orange reflective vest, closing out the number with a disco ball-esque construction worker’s helmet.

“You’re as happy as I am that it turned out this way, aren’t you?” Anton said to Nick after the ball was over.

However, Craig was booed for calling the performance “pigeon-like, stiff and flat-footed.”

For his debut performance, Nick received a three from Craig and fives from Motsi, Shirley and Anton.

Nick blushed as the cast sang him Happy Birthday and handed him a cake, only to have professional dancer Carlos shove the cake in his face.

The DIY SOS star expressed his concerns about performing live, but stressed that he hopes he does better than people expect.

“That’s easy,” Luba replied, reassuring her partner. Nick said, “Well, then I’m very happy.”

Strictly has reportedly suffered another setback after viewing figures for the first live episode of the latest series plummeted to their lowest level in the show’s 20-year history.

After last week’s pre-recorded launch, The Sun reported that Saturday’s episode drew a peak of 6.7 million viewers, down from 7.3 million for the same episode last year and 10.2 million in 2020.

The show has been embroiled in controversy over the way the professional dancers teach the celebrities, with multiple allegations of bullying and offensive behavior.

All 15 celebrities and their professional partners took to the dance floor for the first live show since the launch last weekend, where the couples were revealed for the first time.

A source told the publication that bosses were concerned after already being “worried” about losing almost a million viewers compared to the previous year.

Saying: ‘The fact that the first live show also showed a drop will worry them, especially if the drop continues into next week, the first elimination show.

‘They are now waiting with bated breath to see whether the drop in viewers on the night itself will be offset by an increase in fans watching Strictly via iPlayer, but those figures take days and weeks to compile.

‘These live figures are hugely important for the Beeb as Strictly is still seen as one of the few programmes that offers a shared TV experience, where people come together to watch a programme at a set time.’

MailOnline has contacted the BBC for comment.

The Strictly scandal broke in January when actress Amanda Abbington accused her Strictly partner Giovanni Pernice of assault after she unexpectedly quit the show after just five weeks.

Sherlock actress Amanda, 50, has made a series of allegations about Giovanni’s teaching methods and has described his behavior as “unnecessary, insulting, cruel and mean.” He strongly denies all allegations.

In July it was revealed that Graziano Di Prima had been sacked from Strictly for ‘kicking’ his partner, Love Island star Zara McDermott.

Strictly Come Dancing continues on Saturday at 6.15pm on BBC One and iPlayer.