Sunday Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Love Island Caroline dies in Valentine tragedy
Lawyer reveals she took own life just before trial for assault on lover
THE world of showbiz was reeling last night after Caroline Flack was found dead at her London flat.
The former Love Island host was just 40 years old. Her estranged lover Lewis Burton had posted a poignant Valentine’s message on Friday, simply saying “Love you”. But the TV star was banned from contacting Lewis pending her trial for allegedly attacking him.
She spent Valentine’s Day alone and was found dead in the early hours of yesterday morning.
LOVE Island star Caroline Flack took her own life after Valentine’s Day apart from the boyfriend she was accused of attacking.
The 40-year-old TV presenter was found dead after spending the night alone in her new East London flat – 18 days before she was due in court to stand trial for allegedly hitting Lewis Burton, 27, with a lamp.
She was banned from contacting the former tennis player and model as part of her bail conditions.
The star had stood down from her £4million Love Island job over the incident in December.
Her family said in a statement yesterday: “We can confirm that our Caroline passed away on the 15th February.”
Just hours before her death she had Instagrammed Valentine’s Day snaps of herself with her dog Ruby looking happy and healthy – but no words were attached. They were uploaded after Lewis shared a picture of them both on Instagram with the message “Happy Valentine’s... Love you”.
Lewis had said he wanted the assault case to be dropped. The heartbreaking message, which broke the bail conditions, was soon taken down.
Friends last night said Caroline had been in a fragile state of mind since the incident at the £1million home they shared in Islington, fearing for her career.
And she was said to be terrified of her impending court date on March 4.
One pal said: “She was on her own. She couldn’t take it any more. Her family are devastated.”
And another added: “Caroline couldn’t bear the thought of going through the court case. She felt her career would never recover from this – and she felt humiliated in front of the world.
“In the end she just couldn’t see a way out. She didn’t know how to fix herself.”
Lewis was recently forced to deny claims he and Caroline had split and that he had been texting another woman. He said last month: “We ain’t split. Can’t wait to see you.”
One friend said: “She found such suggestions really difficult to take.”
Caroline had become one of TV’s most sought-after names, co-hosting The X Factor and winning Strictly in 2014. She was romantically linked to a string of A-list names including Prince Harry and One Direction’s Harry Styles.
But her romantic fragility was highlighted in November 2018 when an ambulance was called to her home after worried then-fiancé Andrew Brady dialled 999. Reports claimed Andrew feared she might try to kill herself after a boozy row.
Caroline’s spokesperson confirmed an ambulance did turn up, but played down the incident, saying it had been blown out of proportion.
The star had been liking social media posts about suicide over recent weeks, including some from the Samaritans.
And one friend said she’d been taking anti-depressants.
“She went to a climbing wall with one of her pals, and they were trying to keep her spirits up but she was going deeper into her depression,” said the pal.
“In the last few weeks she was with a lot of her friends and rarely alone.”
The December 12 incident with Lewis is said to have erupted after she found texts on his phone which led her to believe he was cheating on her.
Lewis called emergency services. It’s alleged Caroline hit him with the lamp when he was asleep.
The 6ft 4in ex-sportsman Lewis sustained a cut to his head, while 5ft 3in Caroline had cuts to her wrist after smashing a glass.
Caroline had been due to fly out to South Africa to start filming the new winter Love Island spin-off on January 1. The main show had attracted more than six million viewers to ITV2 last summer.
In a statement, Caroline said: “In order not to detract attention from the upcoming series, I feel the best thing I can do is stand down.
“I want to wish the incredible team working on the show a fantastic series in Cape Town.”
Ex-MTV presenter Laura Whitmore was drafted in as her replacement.
Sources say Caroline had been forced to quit. Her suicide comes after Love Island saw two of its past contestants – Mike Thalassitis, 26, and Sophie Gradon, 32– take their own lives.
Last night an ITV spokesman said: “Everybody at Love Island and ITV is shocked and saddened by this desperately sad news.
“Caroline was a much-loved member of the Love Island team and our sincere thoughts and condolences are with her friends and family.”
A highlights episode of the show that was due to air tonight at 9pm on ITV2 will not be shown. The final is scheduled for next Sunday night.
She couldn’t bear the thought of the trial.
She was on her own
FRIEND ON STAR’S FEARS OVER COURT AND CAREER