Entertainment
Nikki Grahame never made it to eating disorder unit as loved ones ‘pleaded with’ hospital not to release her
Nikki Grahame never made it to a specialist eating disorder unit after being discharged from hospital ‘before she was ready’, 24 hours before she died.
The Big Brother star, who died on Friday aged 38 following a long battle with anorexia, had been treated at a general hospital for three weeks but had been discharged after being deemed ‘well enough’ after putting on weight and being in ‘good spirits’.
A source close to the star revealed to Metro.co.uk that there were no beds available anywhere on a specialist eating disorder unit, either NHS or private, for Nikki to be admitted but she had been due to continue her treatment as an outpatient this week.
They added: ‘Nikki was supposed to enter an outpatient clinic from this Monday, she sadly never got to and died within 24 hours of leaving hospital.’
The source says Nikki’s loved ones ‘pleaded with’ the hospital not to discharge her ‘as she wasn’t ready’ but say the much-loved star had been in ‘good spirits’ after gaining weight while there.
Nikki’s friends and fans had raised over £69,000 for her to get specialist treatment – which costs around £25,000 a month – after her anorexia worsened, but no beds were available on an eating disorder unit at the time.
Her mother, Susan, had previously revealed that it was the ‘worst she’d ever seen’ Nikki as her weight dropped due to the ‘terminal loneliness’ she had felt during lockdown.
She said on This Morning: ‘I think last year really put the cap on it with Covid. It sounds crazy but even stuff like gyms closing, which is quite important to Nikki as she needs to know she can exercise.’
Susan added: ‘The isolation, she couldn’t see anyone. I offered to stay with her but she said ”I need to stay in my own home.” It’s been really hard for her, really hard.
‘She had terminal loneliness… she was cut off, spending too much time on her own, and nothing to think about other than food.’
Nikki’s mother had added that the reality star was determined to finally beat anorexia, which she has suffered with since she was eight years old, and had been doing well before the pandemic began.
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