Nikki Grahame's friend Nicola McLean has revealed that she cried when she saw recent distressing images of the Big Brother star.
The 38-year-old former Big Brother contestant, who has battled an eating disorder for most of her adult life, has been at the centre of a desperate plea for support after NHS treatments continued to fail.
In the last few weeks, donations have poured in after a GoFundMe page was set up in order to help Nikki receive much-needed treatment for her anorexia.
The fundraising page, which was shared by Nikki's celebrity pals including Rylan Clark-Neal, featured heartbreaking images of the star in a bikini.
Speaking to Closer about Nikki's devastating anorexia battle, Celebrity Big Brother star Nicola McLean revealed that she became emotional when she was the pictures of Nikki.
"I've been desperately ill with an eating disorder myself but, even for me, as someone who has suffered, to see those images is just so upsetting. I cried," Nicola told Closer.
She added: "I know she's fought this illness hard, because we have spoken to each other about it. I know she has desperately tried to beat this. It makes me so sad to see her this way because she will be devastated."
In 2015, Nikki decided to step away from the limelight and move to France where she finally reached a healthy weight. However, upon her return to the UK, it appears that Nikki had come face to face with hurdles in her recovery.
Amid the backdrop of a tough year for many, Nicola - who also battled bulimia and anorexia herself - said that she understood how the Big Brother star might have relapsed. Nicola also told the publication that she had also faced her own relapse during the first lockdown.
She added: "I can totally understand why Nikki may have relapsed. The pandemic has been so horrific for anyone with that sort of mental illness, because eating disorders are an illness about control."
Nikki has battled anorexia for over two decades.
In the space of just two weeks since the GoFundMe page was launched, Nikki's pals have been able to raise an incredible £66,000 and can send Nikki to a specialist clinic that they said was her 'last hope'.
The bio read: "we have exhausted every avenue possible, and now Nik is unfortunately in a very bad way, this is now our last hope."
A later update on the page revealed that Nikki was feeling 'overwhelmed' by the amazing amount of support she had received.
Click here to donate.
*You can talk in confidence to an adviser from eating disorders charity Beat by calling their adult helpline on 0808 801 0677 or youth helpline on 0808 801 0711.
