The wife of DIY SOS star Nick Knowles has shared an honest insight into her life following a life-changing surgery. Katie Knowles previously opened up about her health struggles and having a hysterectomy at the age of 35.
Sharing her experience of the surgery on Lorraine earlier this year, Katie reflected on the pain she felt from a very young age as she said: “I was eleven when I started my periods so it’s been long term pain.”
Katie said she was often left “throwing up, not getting out of bed and crawling around the house.” Having been misdiagnosed for a number of years, Katie said: “I first went to the doctors when I was 12, it was my family doctor and he said it was period pains.
“I kept going back and they said this is normal or they put you on a pill or some kind of other contraceptive, anything other than giving you tests and when you have tests it takes ages with the waiting lists. It’s been a long process.”
This month, Katie had another surgery following complications of her first operation. On Monday, October 6, Lorraine asked husband Nick: “She has had a really, really tough time, hasn’t she?”
There were further complications after the surgery, leading to a return to the hospital for Katie.
Nick told Lorraine: “She has had a massive operation, not long after being married and full hysterectomy, which she’s been very public about trying to help people along the way and we’ve got hundreds of thousands of people sort of paying attention to her journey through that.
“And then she had a setback last week and she had to go in for a second really tough operation.”
Lorraine said: “There she is , she is here [in the studio] this morning. I cannot believe this woman is here, she is unbelievable.”
In her latest social media post, Katie opened up on perimenopause and surgery recovery. She said: “Perimenopause isn’t just about hot flushes. It’s a quiet storm in your own head and body.
“It’s waking up after broken sleep, already exhausted. Crying in the shower so no one can hear, feeling like a stranger in your own skin. The depression hits hard, not a passing sadness, a heavy, soul-sucking fog.
“A weight on your chest, a voice that whispers you’re falling even when you’re doing everything you can just to hold it together.”
Katie admitted she struggles to “recognise” the woman in the mirror and can hardly remember who she was before the perimenopause and operations. Another feeling felt by Katie is “rage”, she told followers: “The kind that comes out of nowhere, rising like fire under your skin.”
However, Katie said “life doesn’t pause” and you still have to work, parent, smile, cook and function. She added: “So this is a realistic post for you all, because it’s not all about being picture perfect and fake. That makes other people feel shit and like they’re not doing so well, and that’s not fair.”
Speaking about her recovery, she said: “It’s quite easy to see my posts and think I’m ok and coping fine, maybe even excelling. But I’m absolutely not. My god am I struggling.”
Katie and Nick began dating in 2021 after they met when their children became friends at a play centre and got engaged in 2023.
In a recent personal update, Katie took a picture of her and Nick at the Pride of Britain Awards last night as they enjoyed a night out together.