Trigger Warning: This article includes talk of disordered eating which some readers may find distressing.
Katie Price has expressed her regret at finding an unopened voice note from her friend Nikki Grahame, who tragically passed away following a long battle with anorexia last week.
Katie and Nikki became friends after meeting on the celebrity circuit when the latter rose to fame on the 2006 series of Big Brother, and now the former glamour model has joined the reams of celebrities paying tribute to the reality TV icon.
Taking to Instagram to share a picture of her friend, Katie wrote, “I'm just so shocked and so gutted to hear this news and really upset set to hear her voice message I never saw and just opened.
"Nikki you were fabulous and made me laugh so much RIP beautiful."
Katie’s fans flooded the comments to express their shock at the sad news, with one writing, “Who is she?! Classic Nikki moment! I still say it in her way when I say the phrase! Loved her and such a sad ending 😢 ❤️.”
Big Brother series 7
Pete Bennett
Pete was the first housemate to enter the Big Brother house, and made quite an entrance by falling down he stairs. He was also the last to leave after winning the show with a landslide 61% of the vote.
Pete Bennett now
Pete's now an actor, starring in a show called Green Fingers on Amazon Prime. In late 2020, he's appearing in a Catherine Tate film, This Nan's Life.
Glyn Wise
Remember Glyn? Only vaguely? Us too, yet he came second on the show after a whopping 93 days in the house. Blimey.
Glyn Wise now
Glyn stood as Plaid Cymru's candidate in Cardiff Central in 2016 but resigned from the party later that year.
Aisleyne Horgan-Wallace
Aisleyne divided opinion among the Big Brother housemates, she was voted to be sent to the House Next Door in week six, but she was popular with viewers and ended in a very respectable third place.
Aisleyne Horgan-Wallace now
Aisleyne is the biggest monetary success story of her series and is worth an estimated cool £4.3m. She's still a darling of the tabloids and, honestly? We're still a little bit in love with her.
Richard Newman
Another housemate who stirred up mixed feelings in the house, Richard survived eviction a whopping six times. He wound up in fourth place.
Richard Newman not really now tbh
It's remarkably difficult to find an up-to-date snap of Richard (rude) so here's a jolly picture of him and fellow housemate Lea Walker. He went on to present a show on Gaydar radio for two years after the show.
Nikki Grahame
One of the most iconic Big Brother contestants of all time, Nikki Grahame was booted out of the house on day 58 but was put back in on day 83 and basically jumped on Pete. She ended up in fifth place which is weird considering her "WHO IS SHE?" rant is still common parlance.
Nikki Grahame now
Since leaving Big Brother, Nikki has did a whole lot more Big Brother, including Ultimate Big Brother (she came second to Brian Dowling) and Big Brother Canada 4 (she lasted a whopping 59 days).In April 2021, she tragically passed away following a 30 year battle with anorexia.
Jennie Corner
Look, we're going to level with you here. We don't remember anything about Jennie's time in the house and yet she was part of the finale and came in sixth place after 49 days in the house.
Jennie Corner...still in 2006
Jennie's post-Big Brother life seems to have been lived out of the spotlight (as is her absolute right). She did a saucy photoshoot for now defunct lads' mag Zoo, posted some tweets in 2013 but other than that...nada.
Imogen Thomas
Miss Wales 2003, Imogen lasted 86 days in the Big Brother house, just missing out on a place in the finale.
Imogen Thomas
Unlike Jennie, Imogen has very much kept herself in the public eye. Her most notorious moment was when her alleged affair with Ryan Giggs was subject to a gagging order in 2011.
Mikey Dalton and Grace Adams-Short
Grace and Mikey got together on the show, although when Grace left on day 30, Mikey stayed on and clocked up 79 days in the house.
Mikey Dalton and Grace Adams-Short now
There can't have been any hard feelings though: the pair married in 2009 and are...still together.
Lea Walker
Lea once claimed to have the biggest boobs in Britain. Ah, mems. The big busted former porn star, who we were HUGE fans of, was evicted on day 51 but returned for three days at the end of the show's run.
Lea Walker now
Lea presented a radio show with Richard for two years (see above). She now has an OnlyFans account, but she's now brunette (sorry, this is an old pic).
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“Very sad. Rest in peace,” said another. “I suffered with anorexia for ten years and I can honestly say it really is devastingly hard to overcome... so sad x”.
As recently as earlier this month, Nikki entered a facility for rehabilitation and her mum Sue appeared on This Morning to discuss her illness.
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Nikki Grahame: “Moving abroad helped me beat anorexia – now I want to find love!”
“With Covid, it sounds crazy but stuff like gyms closing impacted her. In order for her to eat she needs to know she can exercise, so when they closed it was quite a worry, the isolation as well,” Sue told hostsHolly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield. “I asked her if she would come and stay with me but she said she needs to be in her home.
“She was [suffering terminal loneliness]. She felt very cut off and spending too much time on her own with not enough to think about other than food. It all came to a grinding halt.”
Our hearts go out to Nikki’s friends and family and family at this incredibly difficult time.
If you're looking for support for an eating disorder, contactBeaton 0808 801 0677.