Former Emmerdale star Gemma Oaten claimed Nick Knowles “cruelly” abandoned her “like a ton of bricks” after their brief relationship became public, leaving her “bewitched ever since”.
The actress, 40, met the future Strictly Come Dancing star, 62, at the 2016 TV Choice Awards following his split from second wife Jessica Moor.
Nick soon took her out to dinner and then on a romantic getaway, before photos of them snuggling together at the ceremony were published, prompting him to “change in an instant.”
Gemma, who played Rachel Breckle in the ITV soap, said The mirror: ‘It was all about him and how it was going to affect his family. It was really cruel when he said I didn’t care. I felt bad.’
‘I said, ‘Do you want to throw away what we have? We haven’t done anything wrong.’ But he just dropped me like a ton of bricks. I thought it was a real relationship and he wasn’t afraid to let others know.’
Former Emmerdale star Gemma Oaten claimed Nick Knowles “cruelly” abandoned her “like a ton of bricks” after their brief relationship became public and has left her “haunted ever since”.
The actress, 40, met the future Strictly Come Dancing star, 62, at the 2016 TV Choice Awards following his split from second wife Jessica Moor.
Nick soon took her out to dinner and then on a romantic getaway, before photos of them snuggling together at the ceremony were published, prompting him to “change in an instant” (both photographed at the TV Choice Awards in 2016).
But Nick soon broke off the relationship and returned to his ex-wife Jessica, with whom he shares son Eddie, 10, before splitting for good the following year.
Gemma revealed: “The experience with Nick destroyed my confidence and I’ve learned to keep my guard up since dating him.”
MailOnline has contacted Nick’s representatives for comment.
The DIY SOS star was also married to Gillian Knowles from 1996 to 2000 with whom he shares son Charlie and daughter Tuesday, while he also has a son, TJ, with dancer Paula Beckett.
It comes as the star will walk down the aisle with fiancée Katie Dadzie, 34, despite their 30-year age gap.
Nick popped the question in August 2023 and the big day appears to be approaching after the bride was spotted shopping for her dress this week.
Meanwhile, the groom-to-be will be ready for his first dance after he revealed he will be dancing again on Strictly on Saturday following an arm injury.
Nick’s future on the BBC dance show was left at stake earlier this week after suffered an arm injury while changing a tire when his car broke down while driving to his 62nd birthday party on Sunday.
Gemma, who played Rachel Breckle in the ITV soap, told The Mirror: “It was all about him and how it was going to affect his family.” It was really cruel when he said I didn’t care. I felt sick’
But Nick soon broke off the relationship and returned to his ex-wife Jessica, with whom he shares son Eddie, 10, before splitting for good the following year (pictured together in 2014).
It comes as the star is set to walk down the aisle with fiancée Katie Dadzie, 34, despite their 30-year age gap.
Nick popped the question in August 2023 and the big day appears to be approaching after the bride was spotted shopping for her dress this week.
Katie looked delighted in a series of snaps, in which Nick proposed to her while on one knee.
In another image, she was smiling from ear to ear while showing off the ring Nick had given her, which was actually a jelly bean.
She captioned her post: “So at the last minute something special happened in New Orleans.”
But he has since received the green light from show bosses – a decision reinforced by his popularity with viewers – meaning he will return with professional dancer Luba Mushtuk for the second week.
And Katie hopes that after all the dance training, Nick will be ready to surprise her with a waltz on their wedding night.
The couple got engaged in New Orleans in August 2023 and the couple announced the happy news on Instagram.
Nick wrote: ‘There was an incident with the Haribo network in New Orleans. Very happy.”
It comes after BBC bosses confirmed that Nick would return to Strictly Come Dancing on Saturday night after an arm injury left his long-term future on the show at stake.
He suffered an arm injury while changing a tire when his car broke down while driving to his 62nd birthday party on Sunday.
He and Katie made their public debut as a couple at a Bath restaurant after being friends for several years.
In March, Nick revealed why he hadn’t planned a wedding with his fiancée yet due to his busy schedule.
he said the sun: ‘I’ve been too far away with all the travel shows I’ve been doing. Katie has been very busy with the company.
The television personality continued: “And as there is more work, the time to be able to find, to disappear for a week into the schedule becomes more and more difficult.”
Nick’s extensive love life
Nick and Suzi Perry in 2003
1995-2000: Gillian Knowles
Nick had two children with his first wife before separating in 2000.
They share son Charlie, 27, and daughter Tuesday, 26.
UNKNOWN: Paula Beckett-Vass
Little is known about his romance with beauty therapist Paula, although the couple share a son, Tyrian-J, 23.
2000-2003: Suzi Perry
The two presenters met on the set of BBC’s City Hospital shortly after his separation from his first wife and were in a relationship for three years.
2009-2016: Jessica Rose Moor
Nick began dating Jessica in 2009 before marrying in 2012 and welcoming their son Eddie in 2014.
Nick and Jessica in 2013
They separated in 2016, initially amicably, as he supported her in her battle with cervical cancer.
After his recovery, they discussed reuniting, but broke up for good in December 2016.
Later, things turned ugly, with a war of words between the couple.
Jessica accused the star of abuse in an explosive open letter on Twitter.
They also became embroiled in financial wars when she asked for more money to support their son, causing more pain for the couple, however, they later resolved their issues.
Pascal photographed in 2019
2017: Pascal Craymer
Nick made headlines with TOWIE star Pascal after a fleeting romance.
However, things turned ugly when model Pascal claimed she had blocked Nick after he reportedly boasted about his “spinning bed” and “dating younger women.”
She alleged the twice-married DIY SOS presenter was “desperate to get back on his feet” when they went on some lavish dates last year.
She also claimed “striker” Nick tried to kiss her before starters during a £600 meal and embarrassed her with her “dancing dad” in a nightclub.
2019-2020: Emily Hallinan
Nick and Emily in 2019
Emily and Nick began dating in 2019, after exchanging a series of messages about a job opportunity on Twitter, and Nick told Emily to get in touch.
Sadly, a year later in February 2020, Nick confirmed that the couple had split.
He took to Twitter to reveal that he is single and urged his followers not to worry about Valentine’s Day as he would also be spending the day alone.