Nick Knowles has become a shareholder in Champ Rugby side Cornish Pirates.
The TV presenter, best known for hosting DIY SOS, is the latest investor in the club after Stonewood Capital, the American private equity firm, agreed a seven-figure deal for a minority stake in Pirates in May.
The Penzance-based side finished seventh in the Champ, English rugby’s second tier, last season.
Sally Pettipher, the Pirates chief executive, told the BBC: “This investment, becoming a shareholder, is him putting some skin in the game and bringing with him his rugby heritage.
“He’s got a rugby brain, he’s got a rugby background, he’s well connected in that world, he does an awful lot of philanthropy in that world and he brings visibility to us, which I think is really important.”
According to Cornwall Live, Knowles said of the move: “It’s a very exciting time to be a player, or supporter of the Pirates. Investors are seeing the potential of the club and the scenic, historic and proud independent region it represents. A series that brings all this to a wider new audience can only be good for the club and Cornwall’s economy.”
In May, Pettipher told Telegraph Sport of US private equity coming into the club: “Investing in a club in the Champ is the best value sporting proposition in the United Kingdom bar none.”
She added: “If you want to own a Prem club it is a far, far higher bar and you are going to inherit things you are going to struggle to change. Investing in a club in the Champ, you can walk your way into British culture with fiercely loyal fans and really evident growth.
“What the Prem teams have shown us is the capacity for growth. The purchase of significant stakes by multiple investors raises the status and eyes on the Champ. My guys are really smart because they got in first and got in at really good value because these clubs are going to do nothing but go up.”