Entertainment
Big Brother star Pete Bennett pays tearful tribute to ex Nikki Grahame as she dies: ‘I thought we could save her’
Nikki Grahame’s ex-boyfriend Pete Bennett has paid tribute following her death in a tearful video.
Big Brother star Nikki died at the age of 38 on Friday following a battle with anorexia.
Tributes have poured in for the beloved reality TV star, with her former partner Pete speaking out about her death in a heartbreaking video.
Referring to a fundraiser which was started to help Nikki fight the eating disorder, Pete told his Instagram followers on Saturday night: ‘We got loads of money and the amount of love and support for Nikki was overwhelming.
‘I thought to myself, yeah, we can save her. But it’s OK. she’s in a good place. She’s not suffering anymore.’
Holding a bottle of wine, Pete continued: ‘So I would just like to raise a f*****g glass, a f*****g bottle of wine, more like, for Nikki Grahame and all the love from us at Big Brother 7 that we really love you Nikki. You were a true winner, nan. You were great. You f*****g rock it, babes.’
Pete, who won series seven of Big Brother, added in the caption: ‘Thank you for Carly Cunningham and Leon for starting the Amazing Nikki fundraiser, sadly earlier today I found out she just passed away from anorexia😞.
‘Im gutted, we have lost a true character, my bb7 posse feel like we’ve lost a family member, our series just wouldn’t of been the same without her! Even through our ups and downs we have still remained close through the years, and it was so nice to visit again recently with my girlfriend ,sing Kate bush songs and have fun like the good old days! I’m just sad that it was the last song we ever sang 😔.’
He added: ‘Thank you for the memories my friend , you will sorely be missed,I hope you’re not hurting anymore and finally at peace. I’ll See you in heaven Nikki ❤️. Lots of love Pete Xxx.’
Pete had visited Nikki in March and shared a photo of them cuddling in her apartment with the caption: ‘Pete and Nikki March 2021 ♡ visiting my nikki and still cuddling to this day 🙂
Remember the fundraiser to help get her into a specialist anorexia clinic is in my bio! #savenikkigrahame.’
Nikki and Pete’s romance captured the nation’s heart as they began dating while appearing on their Big Brother series in 2006, before splitting some time after leaving the house.
Friends of Nikki had organised a donations page last month to raise money for Nikki to be treated at a specialist facility for anorexia after she had exhausted the options available to her through the NHS.
Fans had raised over £69,000 for Nikki after her friends revealed that her eating disorder had worsened in lockdown.
Announcing her death, a representative for Nikki told Metro.co.uk: ‘It is with immeasurable sadness that Nikki Grahame passed away in the early hours of Friday, April 9 2021.
‘Please respect the privacy of Nikki’s friends and family at this tragic and difficult time.’
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