Nick Knowles has revealed a fresh health setback for his wife Katie Dadzie, weeks after the DIY SOS presenter said he was stepping back from television.
Speaking on the Walking The Dog podcast, the 64-year-old explained that Katie's hormone replacement therapy (HRT) had not been working as intended.
HRT absorption issue discovered
"We discovered recently that her HRT that she's been using wasn't actually being absorbed into her skin because of her hot flushes and sweating and the sun," Nick said.
"So she was only getting a tiny percentage of what she needed and actually that was a learning curve too. There's so many things to learn."
HRT is a common medical treatment for women during menopause, used to replace declining estrogen and progesterone levels in the body.
Katie's ongoing health ordeal
Katie, a lingerie entrepreneur, has faced a punishing health journey since marrying Nick at Braxted Park Estate in Essex last June. She suffered years of chronic pain before being diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome, endometriosis and adenomyosis.
Shortly after their wedding, she underwent a hysterectomy which triggered surgically-induced menopause. During her recovery, she was rushed to hospital for emergency surgery after suffering a cervical rupture.
Katie has returned to hospital multiple times since, with her latest trip three months ago for corrective surgery.
Nick's tribute to his wife
Nick praised Katie's resilience throughout her ordeal. "She went from 36 to being plunged directly into full medical menopause, no perimenopause, no ease into it, some kind of ramp. She was just piled into it. She's been extraordinary," he said.
Earlier this year, Nick told the Daily Mail's Richard Eden that he had been caring for his wife extensively. "I've been looking after my wife a lot because she has been through it. She's had a lot of tough times. She's got another operation coming up," he said.
Katie previously described her cervical rupture as "the most terrifying day I've ever had", recalling crippling abdominal pains, difficulty breathing and severe bleeding. "Saturday when it happened I was in so much pain I couldn't move or walk and just cried on my own on the kitchen from 2-5.30am. I nearly passed out from the pain," she said.
