Strictly week two – live: Nick Knowles expresses concern after just ‘two days’ of rehearsal

Paul Merson has made an admission about his participation on Strictly Come Dancing.

Days after the former Arsenal and England footballer performed an American Smooth to Fat Les song “Vindaloo”, Merson, who ended near the bottom of the leaderboard, said he was finding his time on the BBC show “really hard”. However, this is not due to the technicalities required to dance.

Following in the footsteps of his JLS bandmate Aston Merrygold, performer JB Gill is among the 15 celebrities taking part in this year’s 20th anniversary series of Strictly Come Dancing.

The 37-year-old rose to fame in 2008 with his boyband JLS, comprised of singers Oritse Williams, Marvin Humes and Merrygold. While the band formed in 2006, it was their performances on 2008’s edition of The X Factor that saw the group become a household name.

Find out more about the current leaderboard winner here:

The BBC has revealed that the four Strictly judges will battle for a throne during an “avant garde gothic tango” alongside the show’s professional dancers.

Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse, Shirley Ballas and Anton Du Beke will participate in the dramatic performance on tomorrow night’s results show.

Nick Knowles has confirmed he will perform on tonight’s Strictly after suffering an injury.

Earlier this week, the DIY SOS host hurt his shoulder, which has led him to have just two days of training ahead of his next performance.

On Saturday morning (28 September), he shared a video on Instagram, telling his fans: “On my way to the studios – this is show day. I’ve had two days to learn the dance as well as I possibly can. I promise to give it everything tonight and try and perform it well.

“Luba [Mushtuk] has worked her magic in choreographing something amazing. All I have to do now is perform it. It’s been a tough week but I’m very excited to dance later this evening and don’t worry about me, my shoulder’s getting stronger every single day.”

He thanked his fans and said he “will try to do my best” for everyone who sent him support, acknowledging that he’s in danger of going home if he doesn’t perform well as he’s in the bottom four of the current leaderboard rolled over from last week.

There are 15 celebrities participating in this year’s series of Strictly Come Dancing – and you can find out everything you need to know about them, and which professional dancer they’re paired with, here:

Strictly Come Dancing professional Jowita Przystal has revealed the secret code that she and her dance partner Pete Wicks use in training sessions.

The Only Way is Essex star Wicks is competing in this year’s Strictly competition along 14 more celebrities vying for the glitterball trophy. He is partnered with Przystal, who has worked on the show since 2021.

Appearing on Wicks’s Staying Relevant podcast, which he co-presents with former Made in Chelsea star Sam Thompson, Przystal discussed her bond with Wicks – and said they instantly “connected” when they first met.

Nick Knowles suffered an arm injury this week, which threw his Strictly future into question.

However, it’s believed the 62-year-old DIY SOS presenter, who is currently competing on the show alongside professional dancer Luba Mushtuk, will perform tonight after doctors gave him permission.

A source told The Mirror: ”Nick and Luba’s attitude is very much that the show must go on, and they were thrilled when he was given the go ahead. They are even going to attempt a lift.

Find out more about what happened to Knowles here:

The biggest talking points from last week’s episode included one rather odd song choice that saw poor Paul Merson dancing an American Smooth-of-sorts to Fat Les’s “Vindaloo”.

While it’s clear why they wanted Merson – a retired footballer – to dance to a football song, there were claims ahead of the episode that he felt somewhat shafted by the decision. Of course, it went down like a lead balloon and many believe he could be this year’s “joke” contestant.

Here are this week’s song choices and dances that the couples will be performing:

While nobody was eliminated from last week’s Strictly, that doesn’t mean the episode has no bearing on what occurs tonight.

The judges’ scores will roll over and be combined with whatever the celebrities manage to get tonight.

With this in mind, here’s how the leaderboard currently stands: