NIKKI Grahame’s devastated mum has revealed all on the star’s tragic anorexia battle as she feared gaining weight in lockdown.
The Big Brother legend‘s mum Sue appeared on This Morning today and told viewers her daughter’s health battle was sparked when gyms closed as the star dreaded eating if she couldn’t exercise.
Nikki Grahame’s mum Sue spoke on This Morning today about the Big Brother legend’s health battle
The reality star, 38, checked into a specialist facility last week after her desperate friends managed to raise enough cash to start paying for life-saving care.
And Sue told hosts Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield that gyms closing and Nikki‘s growing isolation as she lived alone triggered her relapse.
She said: “With Covid, it sounds crazy but stuff like gyms closing impacted her.
“In order for her to eat she needs to know she can exercise, so when they closed it was quite a worry, the isolation as well.
“I asked her if she would come and stay with me but she said she needs to be in her home.”
“She was (suffering terminal loneliness) she felt very cut off and spending too much time on her own with not enough to think about other than food.
Nikki has suffered from anorexia since she was a young child
“It all came to a grinding halt. Also for Nikki, she would muddle herself through the year knowing she’s got friends abroad and she would visit them.
“She spent a lot of time last year cancelling holidays.”
Nikki’s mum also shared the moment she realised “something was wrong” with the star aged just seven years old.
Holly and Phil sent their love to Nikki
She said: “We had a lot of stuff going on. You know, my dad got very sick and of course that affected me and I think she was worried for me and I tried to put on a brave face.
“We had other things going on, my marriage broke up and my husband had struggles at work so I know (our home) wasn’t a happy place.
“One point stands in my mind. She was seven and we went to a restaurant and Nikki stood beside me, she wouldn’t actually sit, she was just beside me and it was around that time that I noticed, she started refusing to eat, that’s the one thing that stuck in my mind.”
Viewers shared their support on Twitter, as one said: “So much love for @NikkiGrahame & her incredible mum. Get well soon Nikki, you’ll be back again before you know it. #ThisMorning
Nikki reunited in London with Big Brother co-star Imogen Thomas last summer
Nikki has now entered into a treatment facility in a bid to treat her anorexia.
Sue said Nikki had a message to fans, after Holly and and Phil said “you can do it Nikki”.
Sue said: “I heard from Nikki this morning and she said, ‘please stress how overwhelmed I am at people’s kindness towards me. I am so grateful.’
“But she said ‘also tell everybody I’m going to try my level best to beat this'”.
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