Strictly’s DIY SOS star is back! Nick Knowles, 62, admits he ‘thought his journey was over’ after knee injury and is given a pass to perform his movie week Charleston due to lack of rehearsals

Nick Knowles admitted he thought his Strictly journey was over when he returned to the dancefloor on Saturday night.

Although his future in the competition was uncertain after suffering an injury in training last week, it was confirmed on Friday that the DIY SOS star would be back to feature in week four.

Nick took to the floor with his partner Luba Mushtuk and sang his Paddington-themed Charleston from Movie Week, as production allowed him to continue his week three dance after skipping last week’s show.

Dedicating the dance to his 10-year-old son Eddia, judge Motsi Mabuse praised the star for his “courageous return” while affirming that “your son will be proud.”

In a candid chat with Claudia Winkleman after giving it his all on the dancefloor, Nick admitted: “Last week I thought I was out, so I’m over the moon.”

Nick took to the floor with Luba Mushtuk and sang his Paddington-themed Charleston from Movie Week, as production allowed him to continue his week three dance after skipping last week’s show.

Luba added: I am absolutely in awe of this man and the determination. The fact that he fell in love with dancing is the best thing there is.’

Nick was told by doctors on Friday that he would be able to return to the floor to dance on Saturday, a week after the injury forced him to withdraw from Film Week.

And as he smiled alongside his partner Luba during the show’s introduction, he seemed delighted to be back on the ground.

On Twitter, Nick’s performance received a mixed reception, as viewers sympathized with his injury to varying degrees.

Many were disappointed with the dance, writing: ‘Nick Knowles is back, just in time to be sent home’

‘The judges are very kind to Nick and make a lot of concessions to him’; ‘Why do the judges love Nick Knowles so much? That wasn’t a good dance’;

‘Hhhmmm, that actually felt like a mediocre performance of Nick Knowles’s Charleston.

‘I’m a little disappointed, especially because he had two weeks to learn this routine and it wasn’t that over-the-top at all, full of goofy character’;

‘Yes, he had extra time so he should have been more polished, was boring’;

‘If Nick is careful with his moves because of his injury, he can’t really give 100% against the better dancers, can he?’

Others were more understanding of Nick’s injury, writing: ‘Nick 6 GREAT RESPECT for Nick not leaving the show due to injury. I know this choreography is easier than the original, but I appreciate that we can see it!’; ‘Well done Nick’;

‘NICK Charleston – He put a lot into the acting, especially in the beginning. It was very/too light and controlled (but he held back and felt very placed). The knee injury made turning impossible, but mirroring with Luba was also perfect.’

‘Glad to see Nick is back, but due to the injury the reworked choreography made for a lackluster Charleston. What he could dance, he did well

Viewers were also thrilled to see Nick back where he belongs, along with his fellow contestants.

Strictly fans went crazy when Nick Knowles returned to the show on Saturday night after a knee injury put his dancing future in jeopardy

The DIY SOS star, 62, is back after it was finally confirmed on Friday that he would be dancing after suffering two injuries during his time on the show

They wrote: ‘OOH NICK IS BACK!’; ‘I LOVE NICK KNOWLES #Strictly’; ‘so glad Nick can dance’.

Nick broke his silence and gave the positive news on Instagram that he will be back on Saturday evening. He admitted that he missed last week and had really caught the dancing bug.

He began, “Hello everyone. Well, I watched last week’s show and felt so sad that I wasn’t there. Of course I enjoyed cheering everyone on, but I really missed it. I missed being part of it.

‘When I signed up for Strictly I never thought for a moment that I would enjoy dancing the way I do, and I’ve caught the dancing bug so I’m really excited to be back tomorrow. ‘

Thanking his support system, he added: ‘I’m so grateful to all the physios and medical team at the BBC for getting me back on my feet. See you tomorrow night.’

A BBC spokesperson also said: ‘We are all delighted that Nick Knowles and Luba Mushtuk will be dancing in next Saturday’s show. Nick has been cleared to dance by the medical and physiotherapy team following his injury last week.

‘As there is no more training time this week, they are performing their Movies Week Charleston to Rain On The Roof from Paddington 2.’

Viewers on Twitter were also thrilled to see Nick back where he belonged, along with his fellow contestants

Nick broke his silence and shared the positive news on Instagram that he will be back on Saturday evening. He admitted that he missed last week and has really caught the dancing bug.

Meanwhile, Fleur East broke the news during It Takes Two on Friday, confirming to fans: “Nick Knowles and Luba will be dancing again on Saturday, we will finally get to see his Charleston.”

On Wednesday he returned to rehearsals and prepared to perform the dance with his professional partner Luba.

Fans took to Twitter to share their joy that Nick would be back on the show, writing: ‘NICK & LUBA WILL BE DANCING TOMORROW!!!!’;

‘#ItTakesTwo @MrNickKnowles and Luba can dance on #Strictly on Saturday. Bring on Paddington Charleston. The only thing is that it is quite fast. I hope it doesn’t bother the knee…’

Another joked: ‘Nick Knowles has been given permission to dance tomorrow (phew!) although I suspect he’ll be in the dance-off with Paul on Sunday. I’ll see you tomorrow at 6:20.”

It comes just after Nick revealed a major health update regarding his future on Strictly on Wednesday.

He shared an update with fans both on his Instagram account and during an appearance on It Takes Two alongside Luba.

In the Instagram video he told fans: ‘So I’m backstage at It Takes Two and the good news today is that the physios have cleared me to train tomorrow.

‘That is not yet completely clear for Saturday. I have to see how things go tomorrow and then a decision will be made on Friday.

“So of course we’ll keep you updated along the way. But I just wanted to take this moment to thank you for all the well wishes I’ve received and the encouragement from everyone. And I’m hopeful that I’ll be dancing on Saturday.’

When interviewed by Janette Manrara on the BBC dance competition spin-off show It Takes Two, Nick went into detail about what happened on Friday.

He explained: ‘We’d had a great week learning the dance and we were doing the camera tech rehearsals where the cameras could see how the dance works and all that.

“On the very last step of the dance I got to where I was supposed to be too late and jumped into position and one leg stayed still and the rest of me went through it.

“I had a bit of a breakdown and realized it wasn’t in a good position. I actually hurt my knee.”

On the plus side, he added, “Every day gets a little better. Friday was honestly looking pretty bad. Saturday wasn’t so good but I had a scan so we decided to wait until Monday so we could have a look at that.

‘Monday was a bit stronger and today I saw the physios and I’ve had help from all the rehab and physios and doctors and they’ve given me permission to try dancing for training tomorrow.

“If I train tomorrow, it might not necessarily be the end. We’ll see how I do tomorrow and that’s all we can say at this point.”

It also comes after Strictly Come Dancing: The Official Podcast was axed by the BBC.

The company confirmed to Ok! that the podcast, which has covered every series since 2019, would not return this year.

Hosted by Joe Sugg, who competed alongside his current girlfriend Dianne Buswell in the 2018 series, and producer Kim Winston, the podcast provided fans with behind-the-scenes insight, in-depth interviews and commentary on series gossip.

Speaking about the cancellation, a BBC spokesperson told OK!: ‘In early 2024 we made the decision to end Strictly Come Dancing: The Official Podcast.

“We are very proud of the last six series and grateful to Joe Sugg, Kim Winston and the whole team involved who made it a success. Strictly fans can still tune in to Off The Telly, our weekly TV podcast.”

The spokesperson said Off The Telly presenters Joanna Page and Natalie Cassidy will give their views on the series instead.

On last week’s Strictly, singer Toyah Willcox and her professional partner Neil Jones became the second couple to be eliminated, after losing to Paul Merson and Karen Hauer in the dance-off.

Following the judges’ decision, Toyah raved about the ‘phenomenal’ Neil, calling her experience on the show ‘the best two months of my life!’.

Both couples performed their routines again, with Toyah and Neil taking to the field with their Samba to Poor Unfortunate Souls from Little Mermaid, after scoring just 15 out of 40 and ending up bottom of Saturday’s leaderboard.

Meanwhile, Paul and Karen performed their Cha Cha to The Magnificent Seven from The Magnificent Seven, initially scoring 19.

After both couples danced, the judges delivered their verdict, with Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse and Anton Du Beke all choosing to save Paul and Karen.