After entering the Big Brother house in the summer of 2006, Nikki Grahame became one of the country’s most famous and popular reality TV stars of all time. Famed for her epic tantrums and amazing sense of humour, the nation fell in love with her unfiltered personality, and we were all devastated to hear the news that, on 9 April, she had tragically passed away at the age of 38.
Nikki had battled anorexia for most of her life, and the news was announced on her GoFundMe page, which was set up last month to raise money to pay for treatment in a private medical facility. It read, “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.”
A host of Nikki’s BB housemates, friends and celebrities all paid tribute to her on social media, and her good friend Pete Bennett – who fell for Nikki in the house and dated her afterwards – spoke to heat about his love and admiration for her.
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He says, “I was in awe of Nikki when I first met her in 2006. I could hear someone having a massive tantrum in the green room before we went into the Big Brother house and wondered, ‘WHO IS SHE?’ It didn’t take long after I saw her to put the voice to the face! She was so funny, dramatic, kind, sweet and princess-like. She had on bunny ears when she arrived, and she was like no one I had ever met before. She was such a character. BB7 was one of the biggest shows they had ever had, and I know most of it was down to Nikki. As the weeks went on, we grew closer and we would confide in each other. I think she trusted me and would always come to me when she wanted a chat and a cuddle. It was just a really good friendship to start with, and then I remember watching her in the house dancing and singing one day, and thinking, ‘She’s actually pretty cute.’ And we became a couple.
“In the end, it was really hard to maintain a relationship out of the house. Everyone wanted a piece of us, and we were doing big interviews together as a couple, but people were watching our every move, and it was so much pressure. I think she was too much for me to handle – without Big Brother telling her off!
“When we split up, it was quite raw between us for a while. Plus, I went a bit off radar, so we drifted apart. But about a year later, we started messaging each other again. Nikki would call me and say in her funny voice, ‘Peeeeete! Can I come and see you?’ And she came and watched me play in my band. She was really supportive like that. I think we were always just destined to be mates, and we really cared for each other. She would always be so happy to see me, which was sweet. She and her best friend Carly would come and stay with me in Brighton, and we’d go out and get pissed and dance about in nightclubs. She loved a good time, did Nikki.
“She was made for Big Brother, and it was her life – she was so in demand, and ended up doing Ultimate Big Brother and going on the Australian one. When she was doing all that stuff, we were out of contact for a while. But we always had that bond. I think Big Brother did that to us. We were always gonna be Pete and Nikki.
“She was open with me about her anorexia and how she’d struggled with it all her life. She told me about how she had to have tubes feeding her when she was younger. She’d confide in me about how her relationship with food made her feel, and it was a bit dark – but it was an illness. For a big part of the time, she was in recovery, and I thought she was OK. I guess it was lockdown that pushed her over the edge. I don’t think she could cope with it – she said she was a bit lonely to me, but I know her mum and friends did visit from time to time to look after her. She did have some great friends.
“I didn’t know how bad it was until she messaged me when she was hospitalised in the first lockdown – she was asking me to come and rescue her from there. I really wanted to help her, but I couldn’t as I was filming far away in Scotland. I’d tell her we all loved her and how she deserved an amazing life. I somehow thought that would be enough, but I didn’t really know she was feeling so down – I’m a positive person and I felt my love and support would lift her spirits. After that, I saw her again when she was out on Rylan’s Big Brother reunion thing. She looked a bit ill, but still seemed together. We were all a bit worried about her after that, though.
“It wasn’t until a couple of months later, when Carly and her friend Leon set up the GoFundMe page, that I realised just how serious it was. I had to see her straightaway, so me and my girlfriend got a cab to her place in London. She was having drinks with Leon, and it was great to see her, but I was taken aback – she was so frail. She was still Nikki and cracking jokes, but seemed to be in a dark place. My girlfriend is a mental health nurse and knew what would make Nikki happy. She asked her what her favourite music was, and Nikki replied, ‘Kate Bush!’ So, we put it on. That’s when it was like a breakthrough – it was like Nikki was shining from inside. She started singing and dancing around to Babooshka, and it was lovely to see. I told myself she’d get well again. And we planned to do Kate Bush karaoke together one day as a duet when she was better. She smiled and said, ‘Yes! When I’m well again.’ So, she was up for getting better.
“We stayed over and my girlfriend tucked her into bed. I wanted to know she was safe and got up OK in the morning. We left the next day, knowing her mum was going to pop over. A few days later, she texted me to say, ‘Hey Petie, all good my end. Starting a clinic on Monday, which is good. And the sun is shining today!’
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“When she was in hospital, she messaged Richard [Newman from BB7] and said she’d do anything to watch an ’80s movie, but there wasn’t any wi-fi there. So, she and Richard planned to binge-watch some together when she got out. I had a great idea to email Kate Bush after that to see if she would send her a message or sing her a song to cheer her up, as I honestly thought that giving her a boost from her hero would help her start to feel more positive and recover. But then we got the news that she was gone. And it was too late.
“I hope out of this tragedy comes something good, that can help people struggling. I am so gutted – we all are. There are a few people I’m still close with from BB7, and it feels as if we’ve lost a little sister. We are heartbroken we couldn’t save her, and for all the people who tried to help. My heart goes out to Carly, Leon and her mum Sue for all their efforts. I will miss her terribly, but I know we’ll see her in heaven again one day. She’s definitely earned a place up there in the sky. Rest in peace, Nikki. I’ll miss you.”
Pete didn’t receive any money for this interview. For more information on Nikki’s GoFundMe page, visit Gofundme.com/f/2azz481mlc
Read more in the latest issue of heat magazine – OUT NOW.