Dermot O'Leary has claimed that this year's series has "suffered" following Nikki's eviction.
The Big Brother's Little Brother host told New! magazine that he is missing the model's hysterics and temper tantrums.
"Yeah, the show has definitely suffered," he explained. "There's something unbelievably endearing about the girl. I don't know why she was evicted. Even the housemates felt it. When she was voted out they were all saying, 'You must be going to Australia' and coming up with these bizarre theories. We were thinking, 'There's no way she can go, something must be wrong'.
"I still haven't met anyone who voted for Nikki. It showed there's no way the show could be fixed. If they could fix it I'm sure the programme makers would have moved heaven and earth to keep her in there."
O'Leary has also admitted that he would love to step in and host the main show if Davina McCall goes into labour early.
"Davina is a criminal genius and will have planned her pregnancy almost to the hour the show finishes," he joked. "But I'd love to be able to step in and do it, in a weird way."
