Reality check
DOCUMENTARY TRAGIC STRUGGLE OF BIG BROTHER STAR NIKKI
HIGHLIGHTS
BIG Brother 7 contestant Nikki Grahame finished fifth when she appeared on the series in 2006, but she went down in reality show history as one of the most iconic housemates to ever appear on the show.
Nikki died last year at the age of just 38 after losing a long and gruelling battle with anorexia, and this documentary looks beyond the diary room tantrums and celebrity gloss to tell her tragic story.
Nikki’s mum Sue explains how the disease first took hold during childhood, when the family was experiencing a tough time. Nikki spent long periods of her teenage years in hospital, and the disease was never far from her mind.
As a young woman, Nikki became determined to appear on Big Brother, and Sue believes the show saved her daughter’s life, giving her a purpose and a reason to stay alive. After her eviction, Nikki found herself inundated with job offers and attention, winning awards and making countless television appearances, including further stints in the house.
Big Brother’s Little Brother host Dermot O’Leary explains how the audience fell in love with her authenticity and honesty, which catapulted her to stardom, but when the series ended and the phone stopped ringing, she found it harder to keep the anorexia at bay.
Also featuring contributions from Nikki’s close personal friends, and Vanessa Feltz, who joined Nikki in the house, this sad and revealing documentary shares the harrowing unseen fight she faced, and shows how the Covid lockdown made her struggle unbearable.