Strictly's Nick Knowles reveals he won't be recovered for 8 months after major knee surgery

Nick Knowles says his leg won't be fully recovered for eight months, after the TV star tore his ACL during rehearsals for Strictly Come Dancing and underwent multiple operations

DIY SOS star Nick Knowles has given an update on his knee injury after undergoing multiple operations for a torn ACL last month. The Strictly Come Dancing alum, 62, was appearing on the BBC dancing competition when he tore his ligament during a dress rehearsal for the live shows.

Now ‘learning to walk again’ with his leg in a brace, Nick tells us: “I’m still recovering. It’s gonna be about 8 months before it's like fully 100% again, so, I think I'll go back to doing less dangerous things after that - like climbing mountains and riding motorbikes!”

Talking at the Cirque du Soleil Corteo opening night, he continued: "It's really weird. I did 40 years of rugby and got away with it without major injury. I've done all kinds of weird things like, you know, riding motorbikes in the desert and all kinds of activities. So, that's really why I had the operations, because, even at my age, I want to get back to the point where I can carry on doing all the adventurous stuff that I've done before."

In a string of bad luck, Nick sustained multiple injuries in the space of just weeks while appearing on Strictly. The TV personality was just two weeks into the show when he tore his bicep while changing a tyre on his Range Rover, leading to him temporarily step back from the show for a week.

Just two weeks later, Nick tore his ACL while attempting a jump during a dress rehearsal for his performance with professional dancer Luba Mushtuck. Despite continuing to dance amid the injury, he was then eliminated from the competition during week four, making him the third celebrity to leave the show.

Following his departure, Nick underwent two surgeries, one to reattach his bicep and a second to build a new ACL and mend two tears.

While the injury may have taken place during his Strictly stint, Nick says the BBC certainly won’t be footing any of the bills. “Somebody asked me on Twitter if Strictly we're paying for the operation but it's in the contract that they don't. I was perfectly happy with that.

Praising the broadcaster for their support throughout his injuries, Nick continued, “They’ve been very good and helped out. They were great with physios and support, so they've been great from beginning to end.

That whole experience was just a wonderful experience. It was enormous fun. I would like to have lasted longer, but I don’t regret anything.”