Nikki Grahame of big brother fame passes away aged 38.

[Chinese_whispers]

If you google nikki it’s all about Pete. None of her other friends have commented and while I felt for him in the beginning because I’m not totally heartless it does seem to be becoming the Pete Bennett show. The cynical part of my brain is thinking of his acting career too and how getting his name out there again can’t hurt.

He should shush now. I had to unfollow him on Instagram.

 

[Lucymyers]

View attachment 540246

Id believe him over imogen any day

 

[LennyBriscoe]

Just watched the documentary too, just heartbreaking. I really hope Nikki is at peace now

 

[WilmaHun]

So sad, she's literally the first person I think of when anybody mentions Big Brother. A true icon. It really is awful x

 

[Oohthedrama]

Her parents got divorced which I’ve read set off her eating problems and I don’t think she went through puberty which would of caused problems mentally and physically for her.
Her mum has blamed the NHS, is she right do we think? I don’t know how eating disorder treatments work when it’s this bad but should they have discharged her like that?

it’s difficult one, once she’s medically stable yes, you can be discharged at 3, 4, 5 stone. To keep someone past that point (medically stable) you need the input of a psych team, but she was about to enter treatment, so they wouldn’t have assessed her in a general hospital, plus she was already living in a different catchment area to Devon.
so basically, they were right to discharge her. But it’s fucked up.

 

[Incognito_burrito]

She always made me laugh. So sad to read she’s passed away and at such a young age

 

[truffletrot]

I would have thought she would have been tube fed. My brother was told he would either voluntarily agree to be tube fed or they’d have to section him so Nikki being at such a low weight id have thought they’d have done the same.

It’s really sad having learnt more about her life since her death her tantrums in BB were obviously not put on for entertainment, they came from a place of having grown up pretty much in secure units.

I saw an interview she did with a psychologist for the programme ‘Nikki In Therapy’ and she was so eloquently spoken and very self-aware. The psychologist said that Nikki reverts back to age 8 because that’s the age her eating disorder started, and that’s the point she lost her childhood.

 

[unidentified]

It was a heartbreaking watch. My sister has anorexia and bulimia and it’s awful to watch someone you love so much think they don’t deserve it, that they’re worthless and that this is the only thing they can control. She went into a SEDU last year for the first time at 46 as despite suffering for 30years it spiralled out of control with the start of lockdown. I do hope Nikki is at peace now as I know my sister has said so many times she wishes that the anorexia and bulimia voice would go away. It’s a really tragic illness and when it’s went on for many many years it becomes such a big part of you. Another thing is that a lot of women with autism have an ED and again this is linked to control and safe places. Not saying this is Nikki but it could possibly be one of the reasons it started so young especially as times were changing in her home life.

 

[Begborrowsteal]

If I knew my therapy was going to be shown to others, I wouldnt commit to it like I would in private. Trauma and illness cant always be a learning experience for others.

 

[Ohflogoff]

This is interesting, I wish the therapy session could still be streamed. There are so many things that could be learned from it, like how to deal with emotions and frustrating situations and how to engage with others.

I found this article and it described how Nikki just sat in silence for 15 minutes as she felt offended - I used to react like that, sulky and withdrawn, when I felt offended or rejected. This therapist seems to be very good.

Former Big Brother star Nikki Grahame throws tantrum in therapy

With a career built on explosive tantrums Big Brother reality star Nikki Grahame has finally faced her demons and discovered the real reasons behind her erratic behaviour.

www.dailymail.co.uk

It is tragic that all this therapy couldn't help her or maybe it helped but it didn't save her in the end.

Therapy being filmed to be shown to anyone other than the client and therapist will never have the same effect as a private counselling relationship

 

[Oohthedrama]

Posting that photo of her was wrong on so many levels (I’m glad people are seeing through him) as is the media reporting her weight and BMI.

This bullshit “raising awareness“ by both the friends and media will do so much more harm than good.
5 stone isn’t a shocking weight to be discharged at to be honest, (Vincent’s Square discharged her at that weight in july by the looks of it, without support they might as well have just killed her, but it makes sense as to why they then went for the go fund me option as her resources were so limited treatment wise)

it just sad she never got into the clinic she was going to before the passed.

 

[Begborrowsteal]

Its mad people even know her BMI (not a dig, just commentary on what gets shared)

 

[truffletrot]

I was just reading the article about how they discharged her when she weighed less than 7 stone.

Unfortunately I was not shocked to hear it, my brother was severely anorexic with a heart rate of 40 and after they tube fed him for 3 weeks he was sent home with a nutritionist visiting him - anorexia is not about people not knowing bloody nutrition.

 

[Emoji]

RIP Nikki, it’s so incredibly sad she couldn’t find the help she required.
She was one of my favourite BB contestants

 

[blondelolita]

I posted on this thread yesterday and deleted about 40 seconds later,

this subject is too raw and i can’t read anything about it, but the worst thing is I know hundreds, thousands, millions of anorexic girls and boys will be looking at the photo with Pete and not thinking “god that poor girl is so unwell” they’ll be thinking

“I’m not sick enough, I need to get there”

It makes me sick to my stomach when someone dies of an eating disorder for that reason, weight has fuck all to do with it, anorexic’s don’t think they look good, it’s not vanity, it’s not the media, I wish to god people would stop blaming the media, the media might make someone diet, it doesn’t give someone a mental illness that consumes you to the point of insanity, that drives the obsession to destroy your body to the point it eats its own organs to survive, and it’s competitive as fuck, to most this isn’t a tragic ending it’s a case of “why am I not that thin”

Yes, I would agree with this. I posted a link to BEAT for that reason, people sharing the images of her at the worst are not helpful at all - lockdown is making everyone feel low, alongside the lack of support due to COVID isn’t good at all.
I’m so sad for Nikki & her loved ones as it was literally a lifelong struggle but I wish people would think before they post skeletal images. Back in th day I was guilty of posting images on tumblr & I don’t wish that culture on anyone. I still struggle even now I’m technically overweight for my height. The demons never leave.

 

[TripleC's]

I must admit I don't really know what anorexia is other than the basics, I know bulimia, I can get my head around it, but is anorexia essentially starving yourself , I can understand the idea of food disgusting you, but how do they get past the bodies need for food, the self torture must be hell, when you think of it, its one of the worst illnessess out there, I think this happening has made me think about it.
As people say it can't be about just wanting to lose weight and to be thin, this is body dismorphia and there must be other self hatred going on because it's torturing yourself, if you look in the mirror you can tell if you have lost or gained weight, anorexic people obviously don't see that otherwise if it was just about weight loss to be slim they would stop.

So many things going on in the brain all at once, it's like trying to heal about 3 different mental illnesses , and suffering myself from 1 I know its difficult to heal just 1.
It feels like body dismorphia
There has to be deep depression
It seems like self hate to torture yourself
Is there some sort of addiction as well

There needs to be more out there to give parents more knowledge to look out for, if you can catch it early then who knows.

I just can't get passed the self torture, the mental strength to ignore the need for food and the pain that must come with it is just so destructive.
Its sad because they aren't weak minded people, to have that mental strength to do it is astonishing , if only there was a way to try and harness that mental strength away from harming themself and show them how amazing they are and what good they can do with it.

 

[Katykatykaty]

Really sad news. Nikki was one of my favourite ever BB contestants, she really was iconic on it! Such a tragic end, but at least the almost £70k raised for her treatment recently will go to a charity helping others with anorexia. I’m sure Nikki would be pleased and proud to be helping others in such an enormous way even if she couldn’t be helped herself.

 

[emzi2784]

This has upset me so much

Omg Petes video

I’ve held it together all day but that’s just destroyed me. I’ve never wanted to reach through a screen and hug someone so much before!

 

[Bitofthebubbly]

Reading about Nikki’s Big Brother moments has made me smile, I remember the 1980’s comment! She was such a pure soul. Still hard to believe she’s not here anymore.

I might have to find a way to rewatch her series again.

 

[Oohthedrama]

It really is tragic. With a case like this I'm sure the medical team are asking themselves the same questions. From what I've gathered treatment for anorexia nervosa has changed an awful lot in the last few years. I think the physical interventions aren't common any more and also in Nikkis case she may not have been strong enough for those treatments.

there’s not much you can do in way of physical intervention, especially here, she wasn’t refusing treatment, it wasn’t necessary to tube feed her, she wasn’t refusing medical examinations, she just died like most anorexics will if they’ve struggled this long, their body gives in. Their heart muscle is destroyed.