BEFORE INTERIORS ACCOUNTS on Instagram were a thing, people had to look towards the telly and to resident DIY hunk Nick Knowles.
Yeah, there’s nothing dreamier than a man covered in sawdust and paint. Truly.
Anyway, there was a lot of excitement when it was announced he would be on this year’s series of I’m A Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here!, as he appeals to a certain cohort of people, namely women. As expected, the usual stories followed, about his penchant for younger women. Exes came out of the woodwork, while some were allegedly paid to leave the country on holiday while he got down and dirty in Oz.
Nevertheless, the nation persisted with their love for Nick Knowles, as he admirably gave his luxury item of a pillow to fellow camp mate Anne Hegerty and became obsessed with beans.
However, the last week on the reality show has given viewers a better insight into his actual personality, thanks in part to periods and something now referred to as ‘Nick-er Gate’.
When a row broke out between Rita Simons and John Barrowman over rations, Nick put it down to the girls being on their “time of the month”. Their PERIOD lads. He meant their period. Just FYI.
Ah yes, nothing like some casual sexism is always a good shout when you need to rationalise your position in an argument.
Then, when it came to hanging up Emily Atack’s underwear to dry, he opted to ask John Barrowman to do it. Y’know. ‘Cause he’s gay, like.
John had the appropriate response: “Why do you feel uncomfortable, it’s just an item of clothing, it’s not inappropriate. It’s fine to hang a pair of women’s knickers on the washing line.”
Emily herself made the point that Nick might not have felt comfortable because he didn’t know her for that long (which begs the question why didn’t pick them up herself so as to avoid this scrap entirely.) John rightly fired back stating: “Then why is it ok for me a gay man to pick it up but it’s not ok for a straight man? It’s just a piece of clothing!”
Touching a pair of knickers doesn’t mean you want to have sex with them, there are no sexual connotations at all, she might have a problem with me picking up her knickers but I don’t have a problem with it, I do laundry, it’s no big deal!”
True that. Beyond the ludicrousness of not being able to pick it up in the first place, Nick made a small show of internalised homophobia by insisting that John could do it, but he couldn’t.
Maybe the public should refocus their look of love on Harry Redknapp, whose attempt to refer to his wife of 54 years as a “peng ting” will go down in I’m A Celeb history.
