The DIY SOS star’s future on the show lies with the tricky Charleston which is the hardest dance on the knees

A decision on whether injured Nick Knowles will be fit enough to take part in Strictly Come Dancing will be delayed until tomorrow to give him the best chance of staying in the competition.

But insiders say that the problem lies with the very dance that caused his injury in the first place – the Charleston – which is impossible to perform without lots of leg flicks and knee action. The DIY SOS star, 62, has returned to the training room today and has been given permission to dance the routine he’d already learned for Movie Week last Saturday.

He and his dance partner Luba Mushtuk are hoping he can recover enough to perform to Rain on the Roof from Paddington 2. But the Charleston can be particularly hard on the knees because of the continuous twisting and turning involved – plus the famous “knock knee” move which many of the routines use for comedy value.

DIY SOS star Nick Knowles is desperate to perform last week’s Movie Week routine in Strictly Come Dancing – even if it is the tricky Charleston ( 
Image:
x.com/MrNickKnowles)

Nick Knowles and Luba Mushtuk before his injury woes set in ( 
Image:
BBC)
The dance’s syncopated rhythm, inverted knees, and wild arm movements can actually lead to a painful condition known as “Charleston knee”. One show insider said there was no time for a new dance to be learned which might be gentler on his bad leg. “The plan is to rehearse today and Friday and then a final decision will be made about Saturday evening. He is going to try and do the routine he’d already learned for Movie Week. It’s unfortunate it’s a Charleston because it’s very hard to do without lots of knee action, but there is no alternative. Everyone has their fingers crossed for him.”

Nick was given a bye last week after being told he must rest his injured leg, but Strictly rules say each contestant is only allowed to miss one week through illness or injury before having to retire. Having rested since last Friday, the TV star was given the all-clear by the show’s medical and physio teams to attempt training today. Luba has promised to “go gentle” with him and has adapted the dance to make it as easy as possible.

With his future on the BBC show now hanging the balance, Knowles said he was determined to keep going and remains “very hopeful” that he’ll be dancing in the studio on Saturday night. He claimed that each day his leg felt “a little bit better”. Speaking on It Takes Two earlier this week, he said if he could make it through two days of training “it’s not necessarily the end of it”.

Nick Knowles and Luba Mushtuk practise the Charleston which is very hard on the kneesWriting on Instagram he told Strictly fans: “I have to see how I get on – and then a decision will be made on Friday. I just wanted to take this moment to say thank you for all the well wishes that I’ve received and encouragement from everybody. And I’m hopeful that I will be dancing on Saturday.”
He hurt his leg in the last step of the dance as he rehearsed on Friday, when he “leapt” to be in the right position after arriving late to the beat. “My one leg stayed still, and the rest of me went through,” he explained, saying it had caused him to have “a bit of a collapse”. The TV handyman went for an MRI and has since been receiving daily treatment.The injury came after he previously performed with an injured arm having hurt his shoulder while changing a tyre on the side of the road. Now Nick says he’s “sick and tired” of hurting himself and just wants to get on with the dancing. One person who could benefit from his injury is footballer Paul Merson, who is heavily backed to be voted off this weekend, according to the bookies.