LE PETIT BECKHAM? The millennium and years in France inspired her next venture: a Club Francaise franchise teaching children French. “I needed a flexible job that paid well for Lucy’s school fees and gave the me the school holidays off.” One fellow pupil of Lucy’s was Brooklyn Beckham. “Everyone’s lip gloss came out in the car park as soon as David appeared, and they certainly held fabulous parties!” she laughs.
MY DARLING CLEMENTINE
By then Vicky had given birth to Clementine. However, little Clemmie had many seizures while on holiday in Spain and an early scan suggested a number of potential heartbreaking diagnoses. The following years saw a family life shaped by drug-resistant epilepsy, breathing difficulties, scoliosis and profound physical and cognitive disabilities, emergency trips to hospital, long stays and two lots of brain surgery. Clemmie would remain completely reliant on family for all her needs.
112
Drawing on her rebellious tenacity, Vicky pursued every avenue of information, treatment and support, including her celebrity connections. “The Beckhams were very sweet when Clemmie was born. Victoria’s mum donated luxury goods for our fundraisers and gave a cheque to Brainwave, the charity supporting Clemmie’s treatment.” The family returned to Herefordshire, close to Andrew’s parents and new charity MBH (Megan Baker House), whose specialist support became a lifeline. Vicky became a passionate ambassador and Trustee. Other work, even in high-pressure sales, supplied a thread of normality “I needed parts of life for me - even if it meant ringing in my sales figures whilst caring in hospital for Clemmie.” The family later welcomed a third daughter, Pippi, who fitted perfectly and with a hint of mischief into this family life.
THE FIGHT OF HER LIFE
During the Covid pandemic Vicky was diagnosed with breast cancer. “People think I am always coping, but I wasn’t. I was terrified.” She lost her hair, lashes and brows while juggling chemotherapy with Clemmie’s care and homeschooling. Lockdown intensified the isolation. The woman who had kept every wheel turning was barely grinding. Yet she responded well to treatment and, once again, rebelled her way back to health.
PURPOSE REIMAGINED
During treatment, in true VNJ style, she trained in hypnotherapy. Her mother had long introduced the family to it, and Vicky’s uncle, a mental health nurse, asked “When are you going to do what you were born to do?” Vicky has now practised professionally for several years. She also founded Accessible Herefordshire, a Community Interest Company helping venues and businesses to become more accessible and inclusive. Further more she is a Trustee at local charity Echo, supporting adults with learning disabilities. All missions for which experience has uniquely equipped her.
LOSS AND LIFE
In 2024, a Birmingham geneticist concluded that Clemmie had TMEM63B syndrome; in short, a rare DNA ‘spelling error’. She was one of only 16 known cases worldwide and one in five hundred million with the syndrome, hence why so little was understood about it. In this summer 2026, Clemmie deteriorated suddenly, within a week she had passed away, aged 23 - one of the oldest people known with the condition. “For so long I feel we have been in slow-burn grief, but nothing has really prepared us for the loss of our darling Clemmie. We are so proud of how our family has coped with her death.”
At the same time, Lucy, living near Aberdeen, was nearing the birth of her first child. The family pivoted from profound grief to the joy of a first grandson and nephew. Little Angus became a tender antidote at a devastating time.
THE NEXT ADVENTURE
What next for this indestructible woman? “Being a Granny to little Angus and the freedom for us to travel the world.”
As I leave through the kitchen, Andrew is preparing aromatic stuffed peppers for a delicious home-cooked meal; the quiet steady anchor and mainstay of this family, the strong, reassuring presence at its heart, keeping the home fires burning. Vicky insists “Remember, we’re a normal family… to all intents and purposes. Whatever ‘normal’ actually means!”
Normal? I’d say extraordinary. Words by Heidi Chamberlain-Jones
LIVE24-SEVEN.COM
LOCAL PEOPLE VICKY NICOLSON-JAMES
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124
