Caroline Flack
The UK star’s private pain
The British tabloids and cancel culture are once again being called out following the shocking death of popular Love Island UK host Caroline Flack. The 40-year-old took her own life in her London home, less than 24 hours after an ambulance visited the property. According to The Sun, Flack “refused to go to hospital” insisting she was “fine”. Last Saturday, Flack’s family confirmed the sad news with a statement to the press. “We can confirm that our Caroline passed away today, the 15th of February,” the family’s statement read. “We would ask that the press respect the privacy of the family at this difficult time and we would ask they make no attempt to contact us and/or photograph us.”
The accomplished presenter was openly struggling following an incident which saw her charged with assault against her boyfriend late last year. Forced to step down from her highprofile role as Love Island host – a hugely
popular dating reality series which airs on ITV2 in the UK – Flack fell under intense scrutiny from the British media ahead of her trial which was due to take place next month.
In December, police were called to her London home in the early hours after she allegedly assaulted her boyfriend Lewis Burton after reading messages on his phone. Despite Burton refusing to press charges, the Crown Prosecution Service made the decision to go ahead with a trial.
“Been advised not to go on social media,” she posted on Instagram on Christmas Day. “This kind of scrutiny and speculation is a lot to take on for one person to take on their own ... I’m taking some time out to get feeling better and learn some lessons from situations I’ve got myself into to.”
The day before she passed away, Valentine’s Day, Flack posted a series of photos of herself with her dog Ruby, captioning the post with a simple love heart emoji. Flack’s ex-fiancé, Andrew Brady, has lashed out at the star’s management, claiming they are to blame for her premature death. “Her managers Francis and Louise you knew she was depressed,” he wrote on Instagram. “And you PR w***ers who did nothing to protect her. I hope that 20 per cent kills you. You c---s! You make me sick. You knew she needed help and you did f--- all.’
Brady called police in November 2018 after believing Flack was on the brink of taking her own life. The broadcaster was a fixture of the British tabloids thanks to the success of Love Island and a string of high-profile relationships which were believed to include Prince Harry and Harry Styles. Hundreds of celebrities and members of the public expressed their sadness at Flack’s passing including Boy George, Natalie Imbruglia, Kelly Osbourne and former Love Island winners Amber Gill, Dani Dyer and Amber Davies.
ITV2 pulled Saturday night’s episode of Love Island from the air and on its return on Sunday, voiceover artist Iain Stirling opened the show with a tribute. “We are all absolutely devastated by the tragic news,” he said. “Like many of you, right now we are all just trying to come to terms with what has happened. My only hope is that we can all try and be kinder, always show love and listen to one another. Caroline, I want to thank you for all the fun times we had making our favourite show, you were a true friend to me, I’m going to miss you, Caz.”
Flack’s Love Island replacement, friend Laura Whitmore, who is also Stirling’s partner, lashed out at the media and trolls for their treatment of the late presenter. “To paparazzi and tabloids looking for a cheap sell, to trolls hiding behind a keyboard – enough,” she said.
Calls have been made for the creation of ‘Caroline’s law’, which would ward off excessive media intrusion, after Flack became the third Love Island alum to commit suicide. Mike Thalassit is and Sophie Gradon took their lives following appearances on the dating program, with many claiming the show was negligent in post-show psychological care. Given the show’s popularity in the UK and overseas – with Australian viewers able to stream episodes via 9Now – fans were passionate in their support or dislike of contestants. Last year’s runner up MollyMae Hague was the victim of such terrible trolling, she and boyfriend Tommy Fury were placed into media lockdown after coming out of the villa to protect the young reality star.
Many are now calling for Love Island to be cancelled due to the lack of care of on-screen talent. Reminiscent of the death of Princess Diana and recent defection of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, Flack’s death has reignited calls for further regulation of both the British media and the reality TV industry.
In Australia, similar discussions are occurring following a landmark ruling by the NSW Workers Compensation Commission which found that 2017 House Rules contestant Nicole Prince should be compensated for “psychological” injury after being portrayed as a “villain” on the reality renovation show.
The decision is tipped to have farreaching ramifications for reality TV shows filmed in Australia, with broadcasters and production companies open to similar workers compensation claims.
“You knew she needed help”