I’m a Strictly legend – here’s what Nick Knowles needs to do to get through next live show & why the pressure is on LUBA
STRICTLY legend Vincent Simone has revealed exactly what injured star Nick Knowles should do to secure his place in the competition.
Nick, 62, has been given the green light to dance on Saturday – despite suffering a nasty shoulder injury at the weekend while changing a tyre on his car.
With the first elimination of the series approaching, the DIY SOS star could be at risk of being voted out.
But former pro Vincent, 45, has said the pressure isn’t actually on Nick but his partner Luba Mushtuk will shoulder the responsibility.
Vincent was speaking exclusively to The Sun via 10bet: “I mean this comes down to the ingenuity of his professional partner to come up with a simpler choreography but you know making it entertaining enough and with enough skills to get through the week, I guess that’s what I would do.
“I would have to turn it down a notch and make it simpler but still also appreciate the judges.”
He went on: “Fair play to him and, you know, we’ll look forward to seeing his performance and I hope his professional partner makes nice, simple choreography, but you know with character of the dance you can do so many things if you want to be really really clever.
“I’m sure they will be able to work something out I really do hope so because that’s the last thing is already hard enough to do a dance when you’re 100 percent let alone when you have injuries and stuff, so I hope they will do well.”
Nick spent Tuesday meeting with doctors and discussing the extent of his injury as he missed out on hours of dance rehearsals for week 2.
Earlier this week, Nick gave fans an update from the passenger seat of his car wearing a brown pashmina shawl as a temporary sling.
He told his followers: “Good morning, I thought I’d give a little update.
“As you can see my arm is in a sling and that’s because at the weekend my car broke down at the side of the motorway.
“My little boy in the car, so wanted to change the tyre as quickly as I possibly could, to make sure we were safe.
“In the process of hurrying to get the wheel off as quickly as I possibly could because there was a big wheel on my big car.”
Nick explained that he was not certain of the extent of the damage at this stage, but was on his way to Harley Street for a scan.
“I managed to damage my shoulder and my arm a little bit.
“I’m not sure how or what. But it’s been quite painful, although a little better this morning.
“So I’m on my way up to London to Harley Street to get a scan done and to get some top medical advice.”
Despite the agonising pain, Nick said he was determined to return to training today ahead of Saturday’s upcoming performance.
In a behind-the-scenes glimpse from his rehearsal today on the Strictly spin-off It Takes Two, Nick was seen back in full swing with his pro partner Luba.
The TV star said Luba has adapted their dance to make sure everything goes smoothly on Saturday night.
Nick told the cameras: “Luba has been extraordinary.
“From the moment she knew I was injured she has been looking at alternative ways. She must have rebuilt this dance ten times.”
Luba added: “He is looking incredibly well in hold. He has potential in ballroom!”
The duo are set to perform an American Smooth to Blur’s Parklife on Saturday.