Duncan James says Nikki Grahame once asked him to be her sperm donor

Watch: Tributes to Big Brother contestant Nikki Grahame

Duncan James has revealed his friend Nikki Grahame previously asked him to act as a sperm donor so she could have children.

Grahame — most famous for being a contestant on Big Brother in 2006 — passed away this week at the age of just 38 due to complications from anorexia, which she has publicly battled for much of her life.

Read more: Pete Bennett thought "love and support" would save Nikki Grahame

Blue singer James, 43, told OK! magazine that he and Grahame hit it off immediately when they met and became close friends.

In 2019, when Grahame's struggle with anorexia appeared to be under control, the pair had a conversation about James possibly becoming a sperm donor for her.

James said: "I remember speaking to her about it and she was like: 'Well, if you can't be my boyfriend, you can at least be my sperm donor, because I want you to be the daddy of my child.'

"I was like: 'Nikki, you're so sweet.' She was like: 'I'm so serious, I want to be a mummy.'"

Read more: Fundraiser launched for Nikki Grahame's funeral

Grahame had previously spoken in the media of her desire to become a mother, though anorexia had damaged her fertility to the extent that her ovaries could not produce eggs.

She had consulted with several clinics and been told her body would be healthy enough to carry a baby conceived via IVF and using a donated egg.

James told OK! earlier this week that he had tried to encourage Grahame to eat when they had met up backstage at the Chicago musical in which he was appearing.

He said Grahame told him to "stop nagging" her and that she had been "battling this for years".

Read more: Michelle Heaton apologises for being too scared to visit Nikki Grahame

“It's really sad because I wish I'd known. I wish someone had told me she was in a hospital," James added.

"At least I could have tried to contact her and speak to her or at least say goodbye. That's the sad thing when somebody that you're fond of and you know and you care about when they die, you don't get a chance to say goodbye. That's what was really hard."

Watch: Nikki Grahame's Big Brother co-star Pete Bennett pays tribute