Entertainment
Nick Knowles admits he kept long Covid battle a secret out of fear he wouldn’t get work
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Nick Knowles has revealed he didn’t tell anyone about his 10-month struggle with coronavirus out of fear he would be out of a job.
The DIY SOS star, 59, detailed the horrific ordeal on Wednesday’s Lorraine and admitted that he took secret work breaks due to shortness of breath, after suffering with long Covid.
Long Covid is a condition where people continue to experience Covid-19 symptoms for weeks or months beyond the initial illness.
‘I didn’t want to tell anyone because I thought I wouldn’t get a booking for work, I kept it to myself,’ Knowles told a shocked Lorraine Kelly.
The 61-year-old presenter asked how he currently feels after contracting the virus.
‘Yeah, good now,’ he replied.
‘I had it really bad right at the start of lockdown, and me being impatient, tried to get straight back into exercise directly afterwards.
Nick appeared on Lorraine and made his long Covid confession (Credits: Ken McKay/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)
‘There seems to be some suggestion or correlation that actually going too hard at exercise too soon after Covid can actually cause you problems,’ he added.
Knowles previously told Metro.co.uk that he had put on weight during lockdown, and wanted others who were struggling to deal with their physical appearance to feel empowered.
‘I was doing a lot of writing and not being able to travel much, and had a small injury which meant I couldn’t do the training that lots of other [people] were doing.
Nick recently revealed that he put on weight during lockdown (Picture: David Fisher/REX/Shutterstock)
‘People are feeling self conscious about weight that they might have put on, or the fact that their hair has grown long, all those things,’ said Knowles.
Last November, Knowles was trolled online after he put on a wetsuit for the DIY SOS Children In Need Special.
More: Lorraine Kelly
However, the writer insisted the harsh comments didn’t bother him one bit.
In an interview with BBC’s Morning Live, he said: ‘When I came to do the shoot I thought ”I’ll tidy myself up” and then actually no because so many people, not everybody, did the Joe Wicks thing, not everyone spends half their life in the gym.’
Lorraine airs weekdays from 9am on ITV.
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