Nikki Grahame's mum describes hearing star's final breaths over the phone

Nikki Grahame's mother has revealed she heard the TV star's 'final breaths' over the phone when her daughter died.

The late Big Brother star died in April 2021 at the age of 38 following a long battle with anorexia.

Nearly a year after her daughter's death, Sue Grahame has opened up about her daughter's life and struggles before she revealed the moment she heard her child's last moments.

Sue explained to OK! magazine that Grahame had been discharged from Dorset County Hospital in Dorchester less than a day earlier, with Sue 'pleading to go home with her'.

Grahame had 'insisted she wanted some time alone' and had promised her mother that she would go to a recovery clinic in London the following week.

"As it turns out, I was the last person to speak to Nikki," Sue stated. "On the day she died, she called me at 3.30am to tell me she’d made it to the bathroom with her new walking frame.

"I said, 'Well done Nikki, take it one step at a time.' She replied, 'I’m so tired, Mum.' I told her, 'It’s OK, Sausage. Close your eyes and go back to sleep.'"

The heartbroken mother continued: "She died in her sleep that night. I’d heard her final breaths. Nikki’s friend found her unconscious in bed later that day."

Grahame, who rose to fame on Big Brother in 2006, had suffered from anorexia for decades. She wrote two books discussing her struggles: Dying To Be Thin and Fragile.

In March 2021, friends of the TV star set up a GoFundMe page in the hope of raising more than £50,000 to get her treatment to help her beat the condition.

Read more: 'Big Brother' star Nikki Grahame left behind estate worth more than £300,000

Grahame died on 9 April, and a statement on the page said: “It breaks our hearts to know that someone who is so precious was taken from us at such a young age.

"Nikki not only touched the lives of millions of people, but also her friends and family who will miss her immensely."

Watch: Nikki Grahame's fans donate £70k to help cover funeral costs