Pete Bennett now - Nikki Grahame heartbreak, divorce, and regular job
Who could forget when Pete Bennett won Big Brother in 2006? The TV personality rose to fame during the hit reality show and was praised for raising awareness of his Tourette's syndrome.
He had been bullied for his condition from a young age and was left "scared and anxious", adding: "I went into Big Brother to raise awareness of Tourette's and to be a hero for kids to who have Tourette's." During his time in the famous bungalow, Pete was also famed for his whirlwind romance with Nikki Grahame, who sadly passed away at the age of just 38 after a battle with anorexia.
But once leaving the programme, Pete, now 41, became fearful once again over the threat of abuse and was forced into being a recluse. But despite his romance not working with Nikki on the outside, he ended up marrying a new love.
Pete won the 2006 series of Big Brother (Getty Images)Get the news you want straight to your inbox. .
Meanwhile, his career took off, as the Big Brother winner became lead singer in a band called Daddy Fantastic, wrote music with Guy Chambers and even performed at Glastonbury as Pete Bennett and the Love Dogs. However, his life started to spiral out of control after his victory and he ended up losing the £100,000 prize and becoming homeless.
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His lowest point came during an appearance on The Jeremy Kyle Show in 2015, where he confessed he was sleeping on a friend's sofa and got hooked on drugs. "The work dried up pretty fast, no-one would touch me with a barge pole because I was to do with Big Brother. I lost it all," he admitted.
"It all kind of went wrong, it didn't go to plan. I had all that money and I didn't know what to do with it. I put it on the wrong things. I was homeless after having so much money, it's easy come, easy go. The fame pushed me in a way I didn't want to go, I didn't like it.
"I got into drugs 15 years ago, I've always been a party animal, I was addicted to ketamine. I went to get proper help for my addiction." Pete struggled after the death of his friend Jules, who was electrocuted on a railway line and tragically died in front of him.
But Pete shared his success with overcoming his addiction on the programme - and that it made him want to reach the top and work towards his goal of becoming a professional actor. He told Jeremy: "I'm in a better place than I am, it would be nice to have my mates here and all that, I've been through a lot of loss. I've got into acting and I've got into films, my Tourette's has calmed down. Hollywood is next." In a surprise move, Pete started his own handyman business called Celebriclean back in 2016.
Pete and Nikki had a whirlwind romance (WireImage)Charging £100 an hour, Pete would do jobs such as mowing the lawn, cleaning the oven and ironing as well as throwing in a signed photo and t-shirt. However, the business was not a big success and he failed to get any other celebrities on board with his unique venture.
Since then, Pete has turned into an actor and appeared in a number of low-budget films, including Female Zombie Riot (2016) and Crispy's Curse (2017). He also went back into the music scene and moved from Bristol to Brighton in 2019 to start hosting his own karaoke night every Wednesday.
Pete began dating his friend Gemma Costin, also known as Cherry, and their wedding ceremony in 2010 was shown on the TV programme Four Weddings. After 11 years of marriage, Pete revealed he was officially single and the former couple were celebrating their divorce in October 2021.
Pete wrote on Instagram: "Got my decree absolute in today.. Great to celebrate over FaceTime but will have a proper party next time we meet up. Love u Ex-wife lol." "Over a decade of marriage, and still talking and love each other. I’d say that’s pretty damn good," Cherry wrote under snaps of the pair.
Pete started a celebrity cleaning business (petebennettuk/Instagram)
Pete and Nikki back in 2006 (Getty Images)When Nikki tragically passed away in April 2021 at the age of 38 after losing her battle to anorexia - devastated Pete revealed the heartbreaking final text he sent her. Pete said: "A few days later, she texted me to say. ’Hey Petie, all good my end. Starting a clinic on Monday, which is good. And the sun is shining today!’"
Speaking about her death, an emotional Pete paid tribute to the friends who had tried to save her life by setting up a fundraiser to send her for private anorexia treatment. He said: "I was like 'my god she's really really ill man', so I was in London at the time and I just got in the cab and went over there with my girlfriend who's a mental health nurse, and we just tried to give her as much love and support."
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Speaking about their "great connection", Pete said we had lost "one of the best characters the world's ever seen" and said the rest of the BB7 cast were sending their love. "I can say that we're all really cut up and I can't really put into words yet, it's still quite a sore subject," he added.
Pete's last photo with Nikki prompted a row with Imogen Thomas (Pete Bennett/Instagram)After Nikki’s tragic death, a nasty feud emerged between Pete and fellow Big Brother contestant Imogen Thomas. Pete visited Nicki during her final weeks and posted a sweet photo of them hugging in her kitchen, but Imogen accused him of “betraying” their mutual friend by posting the snap of her looking incredibly thin.
Upset Pete hit back at Imogen and insisted he "didn't sell anything" - and that his tribute was "from the heart". In a lengthy social media post, he set the record straight and totally denied he cashed in from Nikki's death and insisted she had given him permission to upload the photo.
He wrote: "In such a sad time of grief I’ve just had to witness Imogen Thomas trying to publicly shame me on her Instagram. You know, ‘Nikki’s best friend’. I’m sorry but how cruel can you get? Pete admitted he hadn’t seen Nikki as much as he used to but said they are always in contact, adding: "Get over it Imogen, I was nikkis friend and leave me the f*** alone to grieve. Maybe you could do a nice tribute for her instead of lying about me publicly for attention.
"Anyway I’ve had enough of fake people and bullies. And I won’t be shamed publicly by this troll for being a good mate when Nikki needed support and will stick up for myself in any way I can, Love you Nikki."
Pete at 'The Nan Movie' film premiere last month (Getty Images for Warner Bros.)The feud is still rumbling on to this day, with Imogen last week claiming Pete had "cruelly betrayed the memory" of Nikki and claimed they were not “friends". Imogen told The Sun : "He just rocked up at 1am with his girlfriend and took that picture. He only stayed for an hour."
She claimed she contacted Pete privately to politely ask him to take the snap down, but she would never post the many pics she has online. Hitting back, Pete accused Imogen of milking her friendship with Nikki and told MailOnline he had been in therapy after his ex’s "traumatic" passing.
Pete will not be appearing in tonight’s Channel 4 documentary, Nikki Grahame: Who Is She?, explaining he turned the opportunity down for his mental health but hoped it would be a "beautiful send-off". But for those wanting to see him, he has a role in Catherine Tate's new 'The Nan Movie' which has just been released.
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