The DIY SOS presenter discusses living in a different country this Christmas, growing up in simpler times, and how he maintains his large, blended family.
Nick Knowles loves Christmas… and he wants the neighbours to know about it. “We’ve had decorations up since early November. We live on a normal street in a normal sort of house…and I’ve got a sixteen foot inflatable Christmas teddy bear in the front garden,” says DIY SOS presenter Nick, 63, who lives in Berkshire with his new wife Katie Dadzie, 35. The pair married this June in a lavish six-figure wedding ceremony at Braxted Park, Essex. They have six children between them, Nick has three sons and a daughter from three previous relationships; Katie has two daughters.
Nick claims that the kids “all adore it,” but some of the locals don’t. I’ve become crazy. I’ve made an archway around the door because there are lights throughout the house. The eaves are illuminated all the way through. It appears lit up like a traffic light and resembles an American Christmas home more than a British Christmas home. And there are many different ways to respond to it…
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We hear older people grinching and saying, “I don’t think it’s a little showy, don’t you?” A number of men have also pulled up and said, “Thanks a lot, I’m going to have to do it too,” after my wife has seen it. However, it is very joyful for the majority of people. Some students have even made a different route when they arrive home from school just to see it. A bus came up to our home as well. I don’t reside close to a bus stop.
Born on a council estate in Southall in London, Nick has always loved Christmas. “There wasn’t a lot of money about, but my dad worked so hard. I think that’s probably why I work like a nutcase all the time, I never stop. My dad worked for the civil service, but he’d also work in a pub in the evenings to earn extra money and then the post office used to take on extra people to sort mail at Christmas, and he’d do that too. He was working three jobs – sometimes three in the same day – to make sure we all had Christmas presents and Christmas dinner.”
Nick, who recently served as Smart Energy GB’s ambassador, claims that there weren’t any 16-foot Christmas bears. It was a very straightforward time. My grandad used to think that putting conkers on the windowsill would stop spiders, so would you now believe it? We made our own Christmas decorations out of crepe paper, chains. Our mother probably quickly disposed of the horrendous creation we made from coat hangers that we saw on Blue Peter as well.
Nick goes on to say that she would prepare the Christmas cake during the summer to allow it to mature. And then we could discover a few sixpences hidden in it on Christmas Day. Let’s just say that my own kids don’t understand the excitement of finding a six-penny in a Christmas pudding. They would have desired a $20 note.
Nick and family were devastated when the DIY decorations went bad one Christmas. He has a brother as well as three sisters. We used drawing pins to pinning our homemade paper chains all the way around the living room, but the reception on TV was awful this Christmas. In the Radio Times, we had a ton of options open. Do you recall the excitement of that Christmas publication? revealing the big movies of the year. Anyhow, we couldn’t explain why any of the things we’d chosen were fuzzy and jittery when we went to watch them. It was so disappointing. We didn’t realize we had inserted a drawing pin through the aerial cord until we removed the decorations.
Nick was a contestant on the 2018 series of I’m A Celebrity, finishing in sixth place. He also competed on Strictly Come Dancing in the 2024 series, partnered with Luba Mushtuk. His time on the show was cut short due to a knee injury. But which was harder? “Gosh – I’m A Celeb was difficult because of the boredom and the lack of food. You know, I’m six foot two and a fifty inch chest – I like my food. So that was the main difficulty there. And with Strictly, it was the fitness that got me. …I’m six foot two and a fifty inch chest – I’m not really built for dancing.”
He has never watched either of his shows. I was there. What am I doing next, then, since I’ve sort of done that, then? According to Nick, “I’m always more interested in what I’m doing next than what I’ve already done in the past.” I’ve never seen a single episode of John Barrowman’s television show, despite the fact that he and his entire family sat down to watch it.
He might, however, if Celebrity Traitors called. Although he wishes Joe Marler, a 35-year-old rugby player and finalist, could have joined him on the show. That was funny, Nick says. I’ve known Joe for a long time and he’s an absolutely top guy, so I was really happy to see everyone fall in love with him.
However, Nick’s time is at stake because there is a DIY SOS Christmas special and a book about Roman archeology, which he enjoys reading. He even poses for a Roman helmet while we converse. A large blended Knowles family Christmas will come first, though.
“Christmas will be spent snuggling up next to my family,” Nick declares. Because we have children with many different parents, we are a blended family. However, we all work together to ensure that everyone has a wonderful time. I resemble most men in many ways. That means a happy Christmas as long as your wife and your children are content. We’ll just make an effort to stay away from Trivial Pursuit.
