Fragile

by Nikki Grahame

  At Huntercombe with Mum – I was 14 in this photo, and 60% of the weight I should have been.

  Celebrating another birthday in 1995.

  I have made some amazing friends who are always there to support me.

  With Carly – my best friend, my sister, my soul mate.

  Rachel is a true friend and we bonded over our love of indie music.

  David – one of my old school friends – enjoying the sun in Brighton, 2008.

  Julie has been like a mother figure to me and I’m so glad I have her in my life.

  Family is the most important thing in my life.

  My mum has been my rock – solid, dependable and always there to catch me when I fall.

  My sister and I haven’t always seen eye-to-eye. Here we are celebrating ‘The Grahame’s Annual Christmas Party’ in 2010.

  The birth of Nat’s son, Sunny Wren, has brought us closer together. From the moment I saw Sunny, I adored him unconditionally.

  Nat and I finally made it to ‘In the Night Garden’ after the car episode!

  My lovely mum in Oz, having the time of her life.

  After a horrible breakup in 2009, I went off the rails and went to countless festivals and gigs to celebrate my freedom.

  Nadia and I partying hard in Glastonbury, 2010. I’ve got no idea what we were thinking!

  Rachel, Bret Anderson and me at Latitude Festival in 2011.

  Partying with Carl and Didz.

  Darren, one of my closest friends, is someone who is very special in my life and always there for me.

  About the Author

  Nikki Grahame was born in Northwood in 1982. Her parents separated when she was a child and she cites both this and the death of her beloved grandfather as catalysts for the start of her severe eating disorder. Between eight and nineteen years old, Nikki was in and out of hospitals and institutions as she battled with anorexia nervosa. At one point, her weight was so dangerously low that she went into a coma; one of the doctors treating her said that hers was the worst case of anorexia he had seen in 32 years. Although she will never be ‘cured’ of the illness, Nikki made the decision that she wanted to live her life again and has not looked back since. Her time as a contestant in Big Brother 7 made her a household name and, since leaving the house, Nikki has established a career in the media. She has written columns for OK!, The Sun and More magazine and has been a presenter on Big Brother spin-off BBLB. She has also won a National Television award. Nikki devotes a lot of her spare time to increasing awareness of eating disorders and hopes that by sharing her life story, she will help others who fall victim to anorexia.

  Copyright

  Published John Blake Publishing Ltd,

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  London W14 9PB, England

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  This eBook is copyright material and must not be copied, reproduced, transferred, distributed, leased, licensed or publicly performed or used in any way except as specifically permitted in writing by the publishers, as allowed under the terms and conditions under which it was purchased or as strictly permitted by applicable copyright law. Any unauthorised distribution or use of this text may be a direct infringement of the author’s and publisher’s rights and those may be liable in law accordingly.

  ePub ISBN 978 1 85782 963 1

  Mobi ISBN 978 1 85782 964 8

  PDF ISBN 978 1 85782 965 5

  First published in hardback in 2009 and paperback in 2010 as Dying to be Thin. This edition published in paperback in 2012

  ISBN: 978–1–85782–661–6

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or in any form or by any means, without the prior permission in writing of the publisher, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent publisher.

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  © Text copyright Nikki Grahame/Alison Phillips/Natasha Devon 2012

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  Every attempt has been made to contact the relevant copyright-holders, but some were unobtainable. We would be grateful if the appropriate people could contact us.