Nick Knowles says Strictly has offered 'all the psychological help we need'
What did you miss?
Nick Knowles has backed Strictly Come Dancing over their duty of care to contestants, saying he and his castmates have been offered "all the psychological help we need".
The DIY SOS presenter is in the current line-up of celebrities on the BBC One show which is due to start live shows this weekend, amid controversy over claims about what went on in rehearsals during the 2023 series. However, Knowles said he felt he had been well supported so far.
He also addressed bookies' odds that he is the most likely to go home first, saying it has "fuelled him up" to do well.
What, how, and why?
As Strictly Come Dancing returns to the ballroom for live shows this Saturday, all eyes are on the show's duty of care controversy after complaints from last year's contestants.
Last season, Amanda Abbington quit the show early and made accusations about Giovanni Pernice's behaviour towards her during training. The BBC investigation also uncovered allegedly concerning footage from Zara McDermott and Graziano Di Prima's training room. Pernice has denied the allegations against him, while Di Prima told MailOnline: "I didn't deliberately hurt anyone. I am not a monster. I am not an abusive man." Pernice was not invited back to the pro cast this year, and while Di Prima was initially listed for the 2024 cast, he was later dropped from the show.
Speaking on ITV's Lorraine, Knowles' dance partner Luba Mushtuk was asked how she felt about the show's move to introduce chaperones to training rooms this year.
Appearing to avoid the issue, she said: "It's wonderful to have someone in the room to be honest because sometimes I would like to film the routine to do some notes."
But Knowles didn't shy away from the controversy, quickly adding: "I can only speak from what I've experienced. So coming in, we've got all the psychological help that we need - if we're feeling bad or we want to talk to somebody, that's available. We've got all the physical help in physiotherapy, and everybody's been super kind and super supportive. So I can only speak from my experience.
"I think it's important that people have been listened to and going forward."
What did Nick Knowles say about being favourite to leave Strictly first?
Knowles is facing some controversy of his own as early bookies' odds after last weekend's launch show named him and Paul Merson as the most likely celebrities to be sent home first.
But the TV star admitted it had fired up his fighting spirit, saying: "That's fuelled me up a little bit, it really has. I've been pretending that I don't really mind very much and I joke about it, saying for all the guys sitting at home watching DIY SOS with their partners and think I wonder if I could do that - I'm going to be the person that goes in, tries and shows why they can't.
"Deep down, actually I want to do well and then when they said I was 75 to 100/1 outsider and odds on to go out first..."
However, he said he had plenty of work to do as he shared: "It's been really tough to start with because I've never done anything like this before. I'm really flat-footed from years of playing rugby."
Talking about Mushtuk, he said: "She is that wonderful combination of incredibly brilliant and incredibly patient."
Lorraine airs on ITV1 at 9am on weekdays.
Read more: Strictly Come Dancing
This article originally appeared on Yahoo TV UK at https://uk.news.yahoo.com/strictly-nick-knowles-psychological-help-lorraine-093635160.html
