EXCLUSIVE: Father's Death Caused Baywatch Babe Nicole Eggert To Gain 30 Pounds

One of the most interesting contestants on this season of VH1’s Celebrity Fit Club is blonde bombshell Nicole Eggert, who famously strutted her stuff on Baywatch alongside Pamela Anderson.  Recent photographs of Nicole left her almost unrecognizable to fans, as she’s gained approximately 30 pounds.

A family tragedy is largely to blame for Nicole’s sudden weight gain. The death of her father devastated Nicole to the point where she often spent long stretches in bed, her mother Georgina Eggert told RadarOnline.com.

“When her father died it took a lot out of her,” Georgina said. “It’s been two years, but she was really bummed out and stressed about her dad.  She spent a lot of time in bed.” 

Nicole’s father, Ralph, passed away after a short battle with cancer.

PHOTO: Baywatch Beauty Nicole Eggert Strips Down On Hot Day

Nicole first acheived fame as the wholesome Jamie Powell on the 80s sitcom Charles In Charge with Scott Baio, and later secured her role on Baywatch in the early 90s but her mother tells RadarOnline.com that Nicole has been in the business since she was five-years-old.  “You know how Hollywood is,” Georgina said.  “When you go on auditions and you look great and you look gorgeous and then they say you look old, that’s a bit of a kicker.

“On anybody else the weight gain wouldn’t have been as noticeable.  She wasn’t really that heavy, but she was on Baywatch and everyone expected her to still be that.  She’s not 18 anymore.”

The first episode of Celebrity Fit Club premiered Monday night and Georgina says that even though viewers haven’t seen more, Nicole has come a long way on the show.  “She’s lost the weight.  She looks fabulous,” Georgina told RadarOnline.com.  “She’s not back down to 99 pounds, but she looks great.”

Nicole endured a tumultuous relationship with ex-boyfriend, former House of Pain and Limp Bizkit deejay, Leor Dimant, which may have contributed to her depression.  Nicole filed papers in 2007 accusing him of berating her and burning her with cigarettes.

“He was not nice to her,” Nicole’s mother told RadarOnline.com.  “I wish she would find someone. It’s always a mother’s wish for their daughter to find someone, but she’s happy.  I think now she just wants to be able to live and feed her daughter, and she’s doing a great job.”  Nicole has a 12-year-old daughter, Dilyn.