BAD NEWS: Nick Knowles’ heartbreaking family confession after tragic loss
The DIY SOS presenter admitted he “didn’t do enough”.
Nick Knowles admitted he “didn’t do enough” for his father after he suffered a stroke (Image: BBC)
Nick Knowles previously opened up about the guilt he carries over his late father, admitting he wishes he had visited him more often after he suffered a stroke. His father was a Second World War fighter pilot and a much-loved figure on the Knowles family’s West London council estate, where he was always the life and soul of the street parties.
Nick, 64, opened up about how deeply he struggled after Edwin suffered a stroke, admitting that his beloved dad was never the same afterwards. He has since been left with feelings of guilt, saying he feels “awful” that he didn’t do enough for Edwin before his death. “DIY SOS has been a cathartic therapy to help me deal with my dad’s death. He was my hero,” he said in 2019.
Nick revealed that his dad was the driving force behind his career in TV (Image: Getty)
“He had his stroke in his seventies, and wasn’t himself after that.”
Nick continued: “I found that very difficult to deal with and I didn’t go and see him as much as I should have done. Then he passed away and I felt awful about the fact I hadn’t done enough.
“So I decided to take on the difficult areas of illness and disability and try to represent people. We often see the illness or disability and not the person. So if I’ve been on a crusade, it’s probably because I am trying to make up for my dad.”
Nick revealed his dad was the driving force behind his career in TV as he encouraged him to believe that he could achieve anything.
“He was a great lover of community, which is a driver for the show. He was always having street parties. He’d know everyone in a room within about half an hour,” he added.
“He basically told me we could do anything we set our mind to. So I decided to live a life less ordinary. I went after it, and it’s worked out.”
DIY SOS premiered in 1999 and follows Nick and his team as they fix homes and community buildings for people facing challenges. 35 series have aired as of September 2026.
Despite the overwhelming success of the show, Nick admitted he wasn’t convinced it would take off at first.
He told the Daily Express earlier this year: “We got to the end of the first series of six and thought that would be it. How many jokes can you make about building is what we thought. Amazingly it’s carrying on.”
