Nikki Grahame: all you need to know ahead of powerful documentary

The star's life and death is explored in Channel 4's Who Is She?

Nikki Grahame rose to fame after competing in the seventh series of reality show Big Brother in 2006. Finishing in fifth place, the London native quickly became a household name and even won a National Television Award for her appearance on the Channel 4 show.

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Nikki's tragic passing in April last year sent shockwaves through the nation and left her friends and family heartbroken. Read on to find out more about Nikki and her sad death.

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Who was Nikki Grahame?

Nikki Grahame was born in Northwood, London on 28 April, 1982. She was just 24 years old when she entered the house and quickly became one of the nation's best-loved reality stars.

Following her appearance on the Channel 4 programme, she was given her own reality show, , which ran for six episodes. She returned to several times over the years, appearing as a panellist as well as a contestant in 2010's .

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She also released two autobiographies, , and, both of which addressed her battle with anorexia.

Nikki rose to fame after appearing on in 2006

What was the cause of Nikki Grahame's death?

Nikki developed an eating disorder as a young girl and suffered from anorexia nervosa throughout her life, checking into several health institutions over the years for her condition.

Nikki's mother, Susan Grahame, appeared on on Thursday to speak about her daughter's illness. Recounting the first time she realised that Nikki was suffering from an eating disorder, Susan said: "I first noticed when Nikki was about seven and a half. First of all, it was the expression on her face.

"She just became terribly sad and I couldn't understand what was going on and then she just [became] smaller and the school was saying that she was struggling in class because she couldn't concentrate on what was happening. That was when the battle began."

Nikki won an NTA for her appearance on

In March last year, Nikki's family announced that she had relapsed again and was feeling "weak" and "struggling on a day to day basis". The reality star checked into a private hospital a month later, where she remained until she was discharged on 8 April 2021. The next day she was found dead in her flat, having died from anorexia nervosa at the age of 38.