Strictly's Nick Knowles 'cruelly dumped Emmerdale's Gemma Oaten'

Former Emmerdale star Gemma Oaten has claimed Nick Knowles 'cruelly' dumped her 'like a ton of bricks' after their brief relationship became public, leaving her 'haunted ever since'.

The actress, 40, met the future Strictly Come Dancing star, 62, at the TV Choice Awards in 2016 following his break up from second wife Jessica Moor.

Nick soon whisked her to dinner and then on a romantic getaway, before photos of them cosying up together at the ceremony were published, leading to him 'changing in an instant'.

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 as he said it didn't matter for me. I felt sick.' 

'I said, "Do you want to throw away what we have? We have done nothing 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.' 

But Nick soon broke off the relationship and returned to estranged wife Jessica, with whom he shares 10-year-old son Eddie, before splitting for good the following year.

Gemma revealed: 'The experience with Nick knocked my confidence and I've learned to keep my guard up since dating him'.

MailOnline have contacted Nick's reps 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 also has son, TJ, with dancer Paula Beckett.

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. 

Meanwhile the soon to be groom will be ready for his first dance after he revealed he is set to dance again on Strictly on Saturday following an arm injury.

Nick's future on the BBC dance show was left hanging in the balance earlier this week after he sustained an arm injury while changing a tyre when his car broke down as he drove to his 62nd birthday party on Sunday. 

Katie looked delighted in a series of snaps, which included Nick proposing while down on one knee.

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Another picture saw her grinning from ear-to-ear as she showed off the ring Nick had given her which was in fact a gummy sweet.

She captioned her post: 'So last minute something special happened in New Orleans.'

But he has since been given the green light from show bosses, a decision strengthened by his popularity among viewers, meaning he will return with professional dancer Luba Mushtuk for week two. 

And Katie will be hoping after all the dance training Nick will be ready to sweep her off her feet with a Waltz on their wedding night. 

The couple got engaged in New Orleans in August 2023 with the pair announcing the happy news on Instagram.

Nick wrote: 'There was a Haribo ring incident in New Orleans. Very happy.'

He and Katie made their public debut as a couple at a restaurant in Bath after being friends for several years.

Back in March Nick revealed why he still hadn't planned his wedding to his fiancée due to his busy schedule. 

He told The Sun: 'I've been away too much with all the travel shows I've been doing. Katie's been very busy with the company.'

The TV personality continued: 'And as that gets busier, the time to be able to find, to disappear for a week in the schedule gets more and more difficult.'

Nick's Extensive Dating Life 

1995-2000: Gillian Knowles

Nick had two children with his first wife before their split in 2000. 

They share son Charlie, 27, and daughter Tuesday, 26. 

UNKNOWN: Paula Beckett-Vass

Little is known of his romance with beauty therapist Paula, although the couple share son Tyrian-J, 23.  

2000-2003: Suzi Perry 

The two presenters met on the set of BBC's City Hospital soon after his split from his first wife and went on to date for three years. 

2009-2016: Jessica Rose Moor

Nick began dating Jessica in 2009 before they tied the knot in 2012 and welcomed their son Eddie in 2014.

 They split in 2016 - initially amicably, as he supported her through her battle with cervical cancer. 

Following her recovery, they debated reuniting but split for good in December 2016. 

Things later turned nasty, with a war of words between the pair. 

Jessica accused the star of abuse in an explosive open letter on Twitter. 

They also became locked in financial wars when she asked for more money to provide for their son which led to further heartache for the pair however they later resolved their issues. 

2017: Pascal Craymer

Nick hit headlines with TOWIE star Pascal following a fleeting romance.

 Things turned sour however, when model Pascal claimed she blocked Nick after he reportedly bragged about his 'revolving' bed' and 'dating younger women'.

She alleged that the twice-married DIY SOS host was 'desperate to get his leg over' when they went on a few of lavish dates last year.

She also claimed 'forward' Nick tried to kiss her before the starters during a £600 meal and embarrassed her with his 'dad dancing' in a nightclub.

2019-2020: Emily Hallinan

Emily and Nick began dating in 2019, after exchanging a series of messages about a work opportunity on Twitter, with Nick telling Emily to get in touch. 

Sadly, one year later, in February 2020 Nick confirmed the pair had split. 

He took to Twitter to reveal he is single and urged his followers not to worry about Valentine's Day as he too was spending the day alone.