Nikki Grahame: Inside the tragic story of a Big Brother icon

From the moment she burst onto our television screens, it was clear that Nikki Grahame was a force to be reckoned with.

Dressed as a sexy pink bunny, in fishnet tights, a satin corset and rabbit ears, for the launch of Big Brother 2006, she instantly made her mark as one of the most memorable contestants in the history of the Channel 4 series.

Known for her tantrums and flounces – cue the iconic phrase: ‘Who is she!?’ – one was never sure what would trigger another dramatic outburst, which steered the TV star to win over the hearts of the nation, despite coming in fifth place on the show.

Unfortunately, Nikki’s newfound fame quickly became overshadowed by her lifelong battle with anorexia – which tragically lead to her death on April 9, 2021, at the age of just 38.

We take a look into Nikki’s background before Big Brother and her blossoming career as a television personality and author. 

Iconic: Nikki Grahame made her mark as one of the most memorable contestants in the history of the Channel 4 series Big Brother

Nikki Grahame’s brush with fame 

Nikki appeared on the seventh series of Big Brother UK in 2006, finishing in fifth place. She returned to the show in 2010 for the Ultimate Big Brother series. 

After entering the house dressed as a Playboy bunny, Nikki quickly became known for her temper tantrums and Diary Room histrionics, including the now famous ‘who is she!?’ rant.

Nikki was evicted on day 58, but went back into the house after the remaining contestants picked her to return.

After Big Brother, she bagged her own reality show, Princess Nikki, which saw her attempt to keep various jobs.

She also appeared on a slew of shows including Celebrity Scissorhands, 8 Out Of 10 Cats and The Weakest Link, and a Channel 4 poll named her the 12th most ‘written about’ person of 2006 in the UK.

Prior to Big Brother, Nikki, then an aspiring actress, appeared as an extra in the BBC soap opera EastEnders and played a footballer’s wife in Sky One’s Dream Team.

She also appeared as a contestant on ITV dating show Blind Date and competed in the 2004 Miss Hertfordshire pageant.

Nikki also won a National Television Award for most popular TV contender and published two books, the autobiographies Dying To Be Thin and Fragile.

Making of an icon: Nikki Grahame appeared on the seventh series of Big Brother UK in 2006 and finished in fifth place – with boyfriend at the time, Pete Bennett, placing first 

Hysterical strops: Nikki quickly became known for her temper tantrums and Diary Room histrionics, including the now infamous ‘who is she?’ rant

Legendary return: Nikki (pictured, left) returned to Big Brother in 2010 for the Ultimate Big Brother series, joined by fellow seventh series housemate Aisleyne Horgan-Wallace (right)

Who did Nikki date? 

During her time on the house, Nikki formed an unlikely relationship with the show’s eventual winner Pete Bennett, 41.

Their romance ended a month after they left the house in 2006, however the duo had remained close and even caught up just a month before Nikki’s death.

Speaking after the Big Brother Best Bits show aired in 2020, Nikki reflected on her romance with Pete and admitted that it was never meant to be.

She said: ‘I hated it when I realised I was falling in love with Pete Bennett… It was never meant to be. But I loved him at the time. Truly, it was special.’

Nikki told The News of the World in 2006 how she was a £500-an-hour escort girl before entering the reality show – and was booked by Kate Moss’s then junkie lover Pete Doherty while the two were dating. 

The TV star claimed that she ‘did not have sex with any of the clients,’ and, when she went round to Pete’s flat in London, the pair talked for hours and engaged in nothing more than a ‘snog.’

Nikki had previously been linked to the widow of the late Jade Goody, Jack Tweed.

Lovebirds: During her time on the house, Nikki formed an unlikely relationship with the show’s eventual winner Pete Bennett, with the duo falling in love (pictured, right)

Always close: Nikki and Pete’s romance ended a month after they left the house in 2006, however the duo had remained close and even caught up just a month before Nikki’s death 

Nikki’s health battles

The TV personality was always incredibly open about her battle with anorexia, often appearing on TV to speak about her experiences as well as chronicling them in her books.

After first being admitted to an eating disorder unit at the age of eight, Nikki was force-fed through a tube, which caused long-term damage to her oesophagus from years of purging.

Speaking with the Daily Mail in 2008, Nikki revealed that she spent the majority of her childhood in different institutions including the Maudsley, Hillingdon Hospital and children’s psychiatric unit Collingham Gardens in London.

She was then admitted to Great Ormond Street and treated there for two tears before being placed into care.

Nikki detailed how during one stay at an unnamed unit she was ‘shoved in a cubicle.’

She said: ‘I had to use a bed pan, have bed baths and it was just awful. I just sat in a cubicle for 24 hours a day with no stimulation. I sat there like that for three months.’

She also detailed how she was force-fed by nurses and by a tube inserted into her stomach which she would rip out.

Reflecting on a low point in her teenage years ahead of being admitted to Huntercombe Hospital in Maidenhead, Nikki said: ‘I was a walking skeleton. I was 15 years old and weighed 4st 3½lb.’

She was there for eight months and put on 6½lb before trying to overdose. In 2011, Nikki suffered a relapse.

The beginning: After first being admitted to an eating disorder unit at the age of eight, Nikki (pictured, right, with mother Susan) revealed that she spent the majority of her childhood in different institutions 

What was the cause of Nikki’s death? 

Nikki lost her 30-year battle with anorexia on April 9, 2021, aged 38 – just one day after she was released from hospital.

Her mother Susan Grahame, 68, revealed later, in April 2021, that Nikki would get through the year by looking forward to visiting her friends abroad, but Covid-19 brought all her plans to a grinding halt.

During an interview on This Morning following her daughter’s death, Susan revealed the Big Brother icon struggled with the isolation periods and gym closures brought by the nationwide lockdowns, admitting: ‘COVID-19 really put the cap on it.’

‘It sounds crazy but even stuff like gyms closing, which is quite important to Nikki as she needs to know she can exercise.

‘The isolation, she couldn’t see anyone. I offered to stay with her but she said ”I need to stay in my own home”. It’s been really hard for her, really hard.

‘With Nikki, she would get through the year knowing she had friends abroad and would visit them, and she spent a lot of time last year cancelling all her holidays.’ 

Pre-pandemic photos of the star’s final overseas holiday in January 2020 proudly posted on social media show a smiling and carefree Nikki holidaying Down Under with friends.

Stunted: Nikki’s mother Susan revealed in April 2021 that Nikki would get through the year by looking forward to visiting her friends abroad , but Covid-19 brought all of her plans to a halt

Photos posted to the star’s Instagram in January 2020 show a smiling and carefree Nikki holidaying Down Under with friends, including Australian Big Brother winner Tim Dormer

Warning signs: The TV star posted tweets in 2020 expressing what would be her deep frustration and struggles during the government mandated lockdowns 

Final photo: The last photo of a Nikki  was taken with ex-boyfriend Pete Bennett in March 2021, just one month before she passed away – the two had remained close friends

In January 2020, just months before international borders closed to contain the respiratory virus, the star posted a photo that showed her sitting on a branch overlooking a beach in Cairns, in northern Queensland.

She was joined by Australian Big Brother winner Tim Dormer, who won the show in 2013 and had become a dear friend of Nikki’s, and his now ex-partner Ash Toweel.

In December 2020, as her weight became dangerously low, she fell and cracked her pelvis in two places and broke her wrist. Her mother moved in to care for her but, by then, Nikki had become seriously ill. 

In the weeks before her death, Nikki’s former boyfriend Pete Bennett, 41, visited the star amid her tough anorexia battle – just weeks after friends set up a Go Fund Me page to help with specialised anorexia treatment.

Friends managed to raise more than £69,000 since the GoFundMe page’s launch on March 10, with organisers saying they had ‘exhausted every avenue possible’ for Nikki to receive help at a specialised clinic. 

A host of celebrities donated to the fund including Vanessa Feltz and Nikki’s friend, TV presenter Rylan Clark, who also appealed to his followers to help. 

Devastating loss: Nikki’s mother Susan (pictured) revealed that the Big Brother icon struggled with the isolation periods and gym closures brought by the nationwide lockdowns

Close pals: Imogen Thomas revealed Nikki was as ‘mischievous’ as ever in the weeks before her death as she reflected on her close friend’s battle with anorexia 

Heartache: Close friend Imogen Thomas, who was a housemate alongside Nikki in the seventh series of Big Brother, paid tribute to who she described as ‘special and so beautiful’

Respect: TV presenter Rylan Clark, one of the celebrities who donated to Nikki’s GoFundMe for treatment and appealed to his followers to help, paid tribute to the star

Gutted: Katie Price shared her sadness on Instagram after missing a message from Nikki before the Big Brother star tragically died

Touching: Fellow seventh series Big Brother contestant and friend Aisleyne Horgan-Wallace described Nikki as a ‘cherub on earth & now in heaven’ in a touching tribute 

The NHS came under fire following Nikki’s ‘entirely avoidable’ death after the details of her ‘desperate struggle’ to get treatment over the final six months of her life were exposed. 

Nikki was discharged from hospital twice while severely unwell, on one occasion weighing just three and a half stone – the equivalent of a seven-year-old child.

The last time she was discharged, on Thursday April 8, she weighed less than five stone. Just 12 hours later, she had passed away. 

Scores of people who knew her or worked with her paid tribute to a young woman who brought brightness to the world even while nursing her own fatal sadness.

Big Brother presenter Davina McCall wrote on Twitter: ‘She really was the funniest, most bubbly sweetest girl.’

Emma Willis, who later presented the show, described her as a ‘legend in our Big Brother family who was captivating to watch and an absolute sweetheart to be around.’

Imogen Thomas revealed Nikki was as ‘mischievous’ as ever in the weeks before her death as she reflected on her close friend’s battle with anorexia.

Even while nursing her own fatal sadness, it is clear how much of an impact Nikki made on everyone who met, worked with or watched her, with the star having waded through storm after storm to bring brightness to the world. 

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