‘I had this moment of realisation’

Nick Knowles, 63, previously opened up about his heartbreak following the death of his dad.

The presenter has been a regular on TV screens for years. From stints on Strictly Come Dancing to DIY SOS – which repeats on BBC One today (October 18) – Nick has kept busy.

However, Nick Knowles was left devastated when his dad tragically died, with Nick later candidly admitting that he let his father down “at the most difficult time in his life”.

Nick opened up about the loss of his dad (Credit: ITV)

Nick Knowles on his dad’s death

Appearing on the Death: A Changing Industry podcast in 2024, Nick reflected on his “hero” father’s death, when the presenter was 33. “Suddenly with the stroke, he was very emotional and would cry,” Nick said, discussing his late father’s illness.

The DIY SOS star added: “And I found that incredibly difficult so I didn’t visit him when he was in the care home as much as I should’ve done in the last year of his life.”

Revealing his regret, Nick explained: “And then he passed away and I had this moment of realisation that I’d let him down at the most difficult time in his life by not being able to handle it. So that took me a long time and then I was very upset.”

It makes me sad.

Nick continued: “Every time I thought of him, it made me really upset. And about three months in, I remember thinking to myself, this is just awful. You know, I love my dad; I enjoyed his company; we had great times together and every time I think of him, it makes me sad. I’ve got to switch this around because I wanna think of him and smile.”

Nick said he felt like he let his dad down (Credit: BBC)

Nick’s father ‘pulled his hand away’

Meanwhile, talking to Big Issue in 2016, Nick again spoke about his death. He revealed that when his dad “was older and became ill” Nick tried to tell him how grateful he was to him.

“But he was never very tactile. I remember when he was in hospital after a stroke and I went to see him, took his hand and held it. And he woke up, saw me and pulled his hand away. Because men don’t hold hands,” Nick revealed.

He added: “So now I hug my son all the time, I put my arm around my older sons. I think it’s very important.”