SHIRLEY Ballas has issued a fresh update on Nick Knowles after he was forced to pull out of Strictly last weekend owing to injury.
The BBC head judge spoke out on Nick as she appeared on The Chris Evans Breakfast Show on Virgin Radio UK.
Nick was forced to withdraw from last weekend’s edition of Strictly Come Dancing after he injured himself after falling when he did a jump during a dress rehearsal – leaving him on crutches.
It is the second injury to blight Nick on Strictly after he injured his shoulder and arm while changing a car tyre.
It threw his place on the contest into jeopardy after he was given a bye to the next round as per BBC guidelines.
If he is unable to return to the contest this weekend, Nick risks losing his place on the show altogether.
However, Shirley has now admitted she is very hopeful that the star will be back dancing on the programme on Saturday night.
Speaking on Virgin Radio UK this morning, Shirley said: “Apparently, he is possibly on the mend.”
Shirley admitted she “wasn’t sure” what injuries he had sustained and to what body parts as she spoke to Chris about the budding celeb dancer.
She added: “We are hoping that by the weekend he will be back because he is an assert to the show.”
Fans were at first left fuming when it was revealed that Nick would be given the chance to remain in the contest without having to compete whilst another star would still be sent home.
Pop singer Toyah Wilcox saw herself axed after a low-scoring number with her pro partner, Neil Jones.
Fans are less than impressed with the DIY SOS presenter who’s complained of a litany of injuries since joining the show.
Writing on social media site X, one fan said: “Nick Knowles has to go.”
Another said: “When he is hopefully able to…”. And what if he isn’t? What do you say to the couple who goes home this week for no reason?”
Nick broke his silence after The Sun exclusively revealed the news, taking to X to say: “I’m absolutely gutted and feeling very very sad.”
As is tradition, the first week scores are rolled over and combined into the second week. Here’s how the leaderboard now looks after the combined scores
A source said: “Nick won’t be able to take part in Strictly tomorrow night after hurting his knee.
“He was in a dress rehearsal with his partner Luba Mushtuk when he did a jump and landed awkwardly.
“Nick has hurt his knee and is having to use crutches to get around now.
“It is such a devastating blow for him and he is being supported by the Strictly team.
“They are sending him for scans and are doing everything they can to make sure he is okay.”
PAYING rent or a mortgage can be crippling, but one 28-year-old shared how she doesn’t pay a penny of it by choosing to live in a tiny home.
UK-based Roxi Janiszewska, who is better known as Roxxsaurus online, gave a tour around her small pad that she’s lived in for a year – and shared what she would change about it.
In a YouTube clip, she shared: “It’s actually been over a year now—probably about a year and a half—since we moved into our tiny home.
“We’ve definitely learned a lot from living in such a small space, and I wanted to share the good, the bad, and any changes we’d make if we were to build another one.”
Roxi shared how she is living in the tiny home with her husband to save money on rent while she builds her dream home.
The pad is also located close to the building site which helps her ensure that “everything is running smoothly.”
Roxi, who started making YouTube videos in 2014 as a “hobby”, continued: “Originally, when we thought of living in a tiny home, we planned to buy an old, static caravan, but unfortunately, we couldn’t get it through the access.
“That’s when we decided to build our own tiny home.”
She then gave a tour around her humble living space, and started in the lounge area, which connects to the kitchen.
Roxi said: “It’s a small space, but it’s been designed to house everything we need.
“We’ve got a two-seater sofa, which works fine since it’s mostly just the two of us here.
“I also have my work desk in this space, which I love because I can work whenever I want without walking over to my studio.
“We have a coffee table, a TV, and everything is mostly the same as when I filmed the original house tour.
“The only issue we’ve had is the TV unit falling off the wall due to the weight, but we fixed that by adding more support.”
Next, the YouTuber showed off her “small” but “great” kitchen, and said: “It houses everything we need, and I’m happy with the white colour scheme—it makes the space feel light and airy.”
She then weighed up the pros and cons of living in a tiny home.
Roxi continued: “The positioning of the tiny home is perfect. It’s south-facing, so we get sunlight all day, although it can get quite hot.
“It’s also conveniently located close to the front gate, so I don’t have to run far when packages arrive.
“I also love the open-plan living space, especially for socialising while preparing food.”
But she was honest about the drawbacks.
She added: “However, the main thing I’d change is our laundry system.
“In the summer, laundry is fine, but in the winter, it’s a nightmare because we don’t have space to dry our clothes.
“We end up with piles of laundry, and it’s just not practical. I wish we had invested in a washer-dryer sooner.”
She added how she would also love to improve their storage.
Roxi said: “As much as I love the floating units, we could have used freestanding ones for extra storage.
“The breakfast bar, which we thought would be a great feature, hasn’t been used at all.
“We could have replaced it with more storage space. Lastly, I would extend the overhang of the house to protect us from the sun—it gets really hot because of all the glass.
“Despite the small frustrations, I still love living in our tiny home.
“The cosy, small space feels perfect for now, but I am curious how it will feel to move into a bigger house.”
Roxi shared some background information about her life with her husband, saying: “We bought our first house together in 2016 and documented that journey, and now, we’re building our dream home together. It’s surreal!
“Things like this don’t usually happen to people like me. I rarely talk about my background, but I grew up in a poor family, and my parents worked tirelessly to provide for me.
“There were times when we didn’t have enough money for food, and I didn’t even have my own room.”
By Jonathan Rolande
Property expert Jonathan Rolande told Fabulous: The reason we are seeing more creative ways of finding a home: super-high property prices and rents. Younger people are remaining in the family home later in life to avoid paying high prices and to save for a deposit. With increasingly busy lives, staying within a larger family group makes sense, chores such as gardening and housework can be shared.
Garages are rarely used for their intended purpose as cars are far more reliable and less prone to rust and so are perfectly happy outside. On the other hand, the amount of property space per person has been shrinking – converting a garage can make great sense.
Things to consider. (the boring stuff)
Usually easier than building from scratch but still a lot to do to turn a garage in to a habitable space.
You’ll need to check if you need planning (more likely to be required if the garage is detached).
Building Regulations stipulate many things to make homes safe and secure. Consider
Walls, are they cavity?
Roof height
Windows
How will you get plumbing, electrics and drainage connected
Insulation – it will be cold!
Fire safety
Damp proofing
Also consider if, by converting, you are adding or deducting value from the main home. Garages can add value in busy urban areas where parking is limited.
