Fans of Big Brother legend Nikki Grahame have raised almost £70,000 to cover the costs of her funeral after she tragically passed away at the age of 38 following a long battle with anorexia.
Nikki’s friends Carly Cunningham and Leon Dee originally launched a GoFundMe in the weeks before death to raise funds to provide life-saving treatment at a specialist facility. But following her death on Friday 9 April, the page stopped accepting donations after amassing more than £65,000.
The page has now been reactivated to raise money for Nikki’s funeral as well as to support others suffering from eating disorders.
In an update on the GoFundMe page, Carly and Leon wrote, “We just wanted to let you know that we are turning donations back on for anyone that would like to make a donation in Nikki's memory, as lots of people have been asking if they can still donate.
“An amount will be used for the funeral costs and the remaining funds will be used to go towards an organisation that helps those suffering with eating disorders, the crucial funding that has been lacking to help people in these awful situations has not been addressed, we will use this money to the best of our ability to try and stem this horrific, debilitating illness.”
They added, “We also would like to thank people who have sent private messages with lovely words about Nikki, she would be so thankful.”
Leon previously broke the heart-breaking news of Nikki’s death last week as he wrote, “It is with great sadness, we have to let you know that our dear friend Nikki passed away in the early hours of Friday 9th April.
“It breaks our hearts to know that someone who is so precious was taken from us at such a young age. Nikki not only touched the lives of millions of people, but also her friends and family who will miss her immensely.
“We would like to request privacy at this difficult time, while Nikki’s friends and family process the sad news. Full details will be released as and when we know them.”
A number of Nikki’s Big Brother co-stars paid tribute to her in the wake of her passing, including her ex-boyfriend Pete Bennett who shared an emotional video on social media.
He said, “For Nikki Grahame, all the love from us at Big Brother 7. We loved you, Nik. You were a true winner. You were great, you were beautiful, you rocked it, mate. Just wanna say, we’ll miss you, babe. Safe, man. See you later, Nikki.”
Alongside the heartfelt post, Pete wrote, “I’m gutted, we have lost a true character, my BB7 posse feel like we’ve lost a family member, our series just wouldn’t [have] been the same without her!
“Even through our ups and downs we have still remained close through the years, and it was so nice to visit again recently with my girlfriend, sing Kate Bush songs and have fun like the good old days! I’m just sad that it was the last song we ever sang 😔.
“Thank you for the memories my friend, you will sorely be missed, I hope you’re not hurting anymore and finally at peace.”
If you would like to talk to someone about help with eating disorders, please contact Beat on 0808 801 0677.