On 9 April 2021, Britain was shocked by the tragic death of Nikki Grahame. While many will remember Nikki Grahame simply as the warm, lively, good-humoured contestant who stole the show in Big Brother, she was much more than that. On top of bending her talent toward a successful career in presenting and writing after the show ended, her life was also marked by courage in the face of extreme adversity, since Nikki had battled from childhood with a severe case of anorexia nervosa.
While her story is shocking, the reality of her experience is one which will be felt by many people, as an understanding of eating disorders become clearer throughout society.
At just seven years old, Nikki began feeling that she was overweight. A cruel remark from a fellow pupil at a gymnastiME class, along with insecurity brought about by her parents' separation and her beloved grandfather's death, were the catalysts for Nikki's long-term eating disorder. It would follow her for the rest of her life.
And yet she dealt with her struggle with the bravery, full-heartedness - and even self-effacing humour - that originally won millions across the country over to her. As Nikki herself once observed, 'I've always wanted to be the best at everything I do, so I had to be the best anorexic - and I was.'
Her autobiography Fragile - made tragic by her untimely death but remaining uncompromising in its honesty, its power and its humanity - is a moving but deeply important story of a woman coming to terms with serious illness, and using her platform to speak out and help others who are suffering. Nikki and her legacy will not be forgotten.