Nick Knowles 'cruelly dumped Emmerdale's Gemma Oaten 'like a ton of bricks' after their relationship became public' - as the twice married Strictly star prepares to walk down the aisle with fiancée Ka

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.

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.'