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Nicola Rachel Beth Grahame (born April 1982) is a model, dancer, actress and former escort from Watford, Hertfordshire. Grahame rose to fame in the UK when she was chosen to be a housemate on Big Brother 7 in 2006. She has since gone on to front her own reality television show entitled Princess Nikki.
Big Brother
Grahame was one of the original contestants on the UK's seventh series of the popular reality television show Big Brother, entering the house wearing a pink playboy bunny outfit; an outfit that she had donned before whilst working as a promos girl on the London club circuit. While on the show she became known for her histrionics and becoming romantically linked to the eventual winner of Series 7, Pete Bennett.
Grahame was nominated for eviction 4 times during her initial stay in the Big Brother house and was eventually evicted on Day 58 with 37.2% of the public vote. However, less than four weeks after her exit, she was voted back into the 'House Next Door' by 63% of the voting public, along with three other ex-housemates. She was then chosen to return to the main house by the surviving contestants and despite the fact that she had already been evicted, she was reinstated as an eligible housemate and was once again given the opportunity to receive the £100,000 prize handed out to the winner; a controversial move that prompted 2,700 viewers to complain to the premium rate phone watchdog, Icstis. An Icstis regulator commented that the majority of complaining viewers believed that they were misled by the makers of Big Brother, as they were under the impression that they had voted to evict the ex-housemate permanently. In the wake of this, Icstis has launched an inquiry which could result in Channel 4 refunding an estimated £3m to people who took part with phone or text votes.
In conjunction tabloid newspapers reported on a alleged betting scandal, after it was revealed that thousands of pounds were staked on Grahame to win even after she was initially evicted from the show. Several mystery big cash bets were reportedly placed on Grahame at 1,000-1 after her eviction, sparking fears that insiders knew she was going back into the house and decided to cash in.
Grahame subsequently finished in fifth place, with 6.5% of the final vote. Since the series final the Channel 4 chief, Kevin Lygo, has admitted that Big Brother executives feared Grahame would win — sparking further backlash from angry viewers. He added that the idea, which divided producers, was to spice up the “sometimes dull” final week.
Prior work and personal life
Before Grahame rose to fame on Big Brother, she had appeared as a supporting artist in the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played a footballer's wife in Sky One's Dream Team and she was also a contestant on the ITV dating show Blind Date. However, the person she got matched with was not impressed with his pairing, commenting: "Everyone's got a right to be dozy, but Nikki abused it". In addition, Grahame, who has an NVQ in beauty therapy, also took part in the 2004 Miss Hertfordshire pageant, where she came fourth. Grahame had numerous jobs before she became publicly known, including working as a dancer, a promotions girl and a glamour model.
During her stay in the Big Brother house, tabloid newspapers revealed that Grahame had battled with the eating disorder anorexia for the majority of her adolescence, and had attempted suicide by taking an overdose of paracetamol several times. The programme's decision to include a contestant with prior mental health issues was criticised in the media, with experts suggesting that she should not have been allowed to take part. Grahame has spoken candidly about her battles with anorexia, which she has struggled with since the age of eight. She has admitted that she starved herself until she weighed just 2st 9lb and went into an anorexia-induced coma because she refused to eat, commenting: “I was on a mission to starve myself to death. I was obsessed.” She attributes her illness to the deterioration of her parents marriage, her grandfather's death and as a means of gaining control. Grahame has also admitted that whilst she was overcoming her eating disorder she developed obsessive-compulsive disorder (in her case a chronic fear of germs), which she still battles with today.
Soon after the Big Brother final in August 2006, Grahame confessed to The News Of The World that she had previously been employed as a high-class escort or 'vice girl'. She alleged that one of her clients was the Babyshambles frontman Pete Doherty. Despite being paid £500, she denies having sexual intercourse with him, claiming that as soon as she heard she was to have sex with him she quit immediately, and that he was too altered by drugs to perform anyway.
Grahame has been romantically linked to the model Calum Best and allegedly slept with him, on and off, for six months While she was in Big Brother, The Daily Mirror claimed that Grahame had been involved with Jack Tweedy, the lover of the Big Brother 3 finalist, Jade Goody.. Although Grahame subsequently appeared on the "Who knows the most about the guest host?" section of The Friday Night Project whilst Goody was co-presenting and made a light-hearted joke about one of her tantrums, suggesting the claim to be false.
In July 2006 the Sunday Mirror reported that Grahame was being romantically pursued by the Irish actor Colin Farrell, after she attended a premiere for his latest movie Miami Vice.
Grahame famously dated the winner of Big Brother 7, Pete Bennett. The duo's romance began in the last week of Big Brother, following Grahame's return to the show. However in September 2006 she went public with the news that Bennett had made the decision to end their relationship, just over a month after it began. He allegedly told her he found it tough having a relationship in the spotlight and just wanted to be friends. Grahame commented "I still want to be with him. Sadly he doesn't want to be with me. I will just have to accept that. I have to let go."
Recent work
In between her two stays in the Big Brother House Grahame presented the Celebrity Spotting section on one episode of The Friday Night Project, which is normally presented by Debra Stephenson. She also appeared as a guest on the ITV gameshow The Mint.
During the time after her first eviction a The Simple Life-esque reality TV series was announced which Grahame would star. The programme will follow her attempts to hold down an everyday job and was apparently inspired by her stroppy turn as a PA in a Big Brother task assigned to housemates. The show, Princess Nikki, premiered on E4 on 6 September and will run for 6 weeks.
In September 2006 The Daily Star reported that Grahame and her partner Bennett are being considered by producers to appear in the upcoming series of the ITV show I'm A Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here!. Their inclusion is yet to be confirmed.
On 8th September 2006, Grahame was interviewed together with Bennett on the BBC chat show Friday Night With Jonathan Ross.
References
- Nikki admits to being an escort girl
- E4 show for Big Brother's Nikki
- BB babes are luvly bruvly
- Pete favourite to win Big Brother
- Watchdog checks Big Brother
- Watchdog checks Big Brother
- Watchdog checks Big Brother
- Big Brother's betting fix
- Nikki evicted, finishes fifth
- C4 fears over Nikki BB win
- Big Brother star was an EastEnders extra
- BiMedia Big Brother
- Big Brother - Nikki Grahame
- Big Brother - Nikki Grahame
- BiMedia Big Brother
- Nikki minutes from death
- Three Big Brother contestants should not have taken part, says psychologist
- The official Nikki story
- The official Nikki story
- Nikki Grahame: My battle with OCD
- Pete Doherty paid 500 pounds for sex with Big Brother star!
- Bisexual Nik's pal pull bid
- Claimed secretfling
- Big Brother Nikki Attracts Attentions Of Hilton and Colin Farrell
- Pete's Love Affair With Nikki
- PETE'S GIVEN ME THE BOOT
- Producers Of I’m A Celebrity Want Big Brother’s Pete And Nikki!
See also
- List of Big Brother housemates (UK series 7) - Summary of Grahame's time in Big Brother.
- Big Brother (UK series 7) - Summary of Big Brother series 7