Big Brother star won't make up with co-star after row over Nikki Grahame's death

20 October 2023 , 14:43

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Big Brother star won't make up with co-star after row over Nikki Grahame's death

Former Big Brother star Imogen Thomas admitted she will never forgive Pete Bennett after their huge argument following Nikki Grahame's death.

Beloved TV personality Nikki struggled with an eating disorder throughout her life and was admitted to 17 institutions to get help. When lockdown was imposed in 2020, Nikki found her anorexia taking over as she lived alone in her flat. Tragically, Nikki sadly died aged 38 just a year later in April 2021.

Her friend Imogen had accused Big Brother winner Pete of "betraying" her memory by making Nikki's final texts to him available to the public. She claimed Pete, who once dated Nikki, was an 'attention seeker' when he posted a photo taken of the late star a few hours before she passed away.

Imogen said she and Pete will 'never make up' (@imogen_thomas/Instagram)

She accused Pete of 'betraying' her memory (Getty Images)

"There’s no love lost there, there’s nothing. We will never make up and we will never be friends," Imogen said. "He just rocked up at 1am with his girlfriend and took that picture. He only stayed for an hour." According to Imogen, 40, she tried talking to Pete, 41, privately and asked him to delete the photo.

However, she told The Sun he allegedly "went off on one". She added that it 'wasn't nice' for Nikki's mum, friends and family to see the photos on the news and talk shows. Pete had insisted the late star gave him permission to share the image – which showed her looking extremely thin. Imogen previously opened up about calling an ambulance for Nikki when she rang her up, heartbreakingly telling her she wanted to die.

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"Lockdown was probably the worst thing that could have happened to Nikki," her friend Purdy Smith said in a Channel 4 documentary from last year. "If lockdown hadn't happened, we probably wouldn't be sitting here right now... with Nikki living on her own and being isolated, it took over her."

Speaking about going to see her in her flat, she added: "It was awful. I've never seen her that unwell before. I went home and cried my eyes out." Imogen said: "There was one Sunday morning when she called me and said, 'Imogen, I just want to die.' The first thing I done was call the ambulance. The paramedics came but she wouldn't go in the ambulance. The paramedics said to her 'One day your body will give up Nikki, but we can't take you against your will'.

"I sometimes think if she had got in that ambulance that day, it could have saved her." Another friend, Carly Cunningham, explained: "At this point we were like, ;OK, this is really, really serious now' and it had just got completely out of control."

For help and support on eating disorders contact Beat Eating Disorders on 0808 801 0677.

Zara Woodcock