SO SAD: Nick Knowles’ heartbreaking family confession after tragic loss
DIY SOS presenter Nick Knowles has spoken candidly about the guilt he still carries over his late father, admitting he wishes he had done more after his dad suffered a stroke.
The 64-year-old broadcaster previously revealed that his father, Edwin, was a Second World War fighter pilot and a hugely important figure in his life.
Nick described him as his “hero” and said his father’s personality and love of community had a lasting influence on both his life and television career.
But after Edwin suffered a stroke in his seventies, Nick found the change in his father difficult to cope with.
“He had his stroke in his seventies, and wasn’t himself after that,” Nick said.
He later admitted he struggled so much with seeing his father changed by illness that he did not visit as often as he now wishes he had.
Nick Says He ‘Didn’t Do Enough’
Speaking in 2019, Nick explained how much regret he felt after Edwin’s death.
“I found that very difficult to deal with and I didn’t go and see him as much as I should have done,” he said.
“Then he passed away and I felt awful about the fact I hadn’t done enough.”
That guilt went on to shape the way Nick approached DIY SOS.
He said the programme became a form of emotional release and helped him process the loss of his father.
“DIY SOS has been a cathartic therapy to help me deal with my dad’s death,” he explained.
“He was my hero.”
Nick said the experience also changed the way he thought about illness and disability.
Father’s Death Shaped His Work
Following his father’s death, Nick became determined to use DIY SOS to highlight the people behind difficult circumstances rather than reducing them to their conditions.
“So I decided to take on the difficult areas of illness and disability and try to represent people,” he said.
“We often see the illness or disability and not the person.”
Nick suggested that much of his passion for the programme comes directly from his feelings about his father.
“So if I’ve been on a crusade, it’s probably because I am trying to make up for my dad,” he admitted.
Edwin Inspired Nick’s Career
Nick has also credited his father with giving him the confidence to pursue an unconventional career.
He described Edwin as someone who loved bringing people together and who knew almost everyone around him.
“He was a great lover of community, which is a driver for the show,” Nick said.
“He was always having street parties. He’d know everyone in a room within about half an hour.”
That sense of community became a major part of DIY SOS, which has spent decades helping families and neighbourhoods facing difficult circumstances.
Nick said his father also encouraged him to believe there were few limits on what he could achieve.
“He basically told me we could do anything we set our mind to,” he said.
“So I decided to live a life less ordinary. I went after it, and it’s worked out.”
DIY SOS Became an Unexpected Success
DIY SOS first launched in 1999 and follows Nick and his team as they transform homes and community buildings for people facing serious challenges.
By September 2026, the programme had aired 35 series.
Despite its long-running success, Nick admitted he never expected the show to last.
Speaking to the Daily Express earlier this year, he recalled how uncertain the team felt after filming the first six episodes.
“We got to the end of the first series of six and thought that would be it,” he said.
“How many jokes can you make about building is what we thought.”
Instead, the series continued for decades.
“Amazingly it’s carrying on,” Nick added.
For Nick, the programme’s longevity has become tied to something much more personal than television success.
His father’s influence remains woven through the values of DIY SOS — community, resilience and helping people through some of the hardest moments in their lives.
And even years after Edwin’s death, Nick’s admission shows how deeply the regret of not spending more time with him has continued to shape both the man and the presenter viewers see on screen.
