Love Island’s Caroline: What went wrong for TV’s golden girl?
After the shock of her arrest following an alleged bust-up with her boyfriend, where does the troubled star go...
When the first winter Love Island kicks off in Cape Town on 12 January, Caroline Flack will not be fronting the show, following the bust-up at her London home with toyboy boyfriend, Lewis Burton, 27.
Caroline was accused of assault by beating and, unsurprisingly, stepped down as presenter of the show, amid a storm of publicity.
In a statement on Instagram she said, ‘ While matters were not as have been reported, I am committed to co-operating with the appropriate authorities and I can’t comment further on these matters until the legal process is over. Love Island has been my world for the last five years, it’s the best show on telly. In order not to detract from the attention of the upcoming series I feel the best thing I can do is stand down for Series 6.’
Police were called to the presenter’s home in the early hours of 12 December and the star, 40, was arrested.
Photographs of the scene showed what appeared to be a blood splatter on the front door of the Islington home, although it’s thought that Burton, a tennis player and model she has dated since last July, was not seriously injured. Caroline is also said to have been cut by broken glass at the scene.
But Burton leapt to her defence posting on Instagram that his girlfriend had been subject to a ‘witch hunt’ since ‘the incident’ on 13 December, describing her as ‘the most lovely girl’ that ‘didn’t deserve this’. ‘I’m tired of the lies and abuse aimed at my girlfriend.
This is not a witch hunt, this is someone’s life.’
Although the most dramatic, it is not the first time Strictly 2014 champ Caroline has hit the headlines due to her personal life. She famously dated Harry Styles, when he was just 17 and she 31, is rumoured to have had a fling with Prince Harry and was engaged to Andrew Brady, who has since slammed their relationship as ‘toxic’.
So, how damaging will the fallout be? As well as losing her £1.2 million Love Island gig, an advertising job for Polaroid is said to be ‘on hold’. Her role as host of upcoming Channel 4 show, The Surjury, is also in question , and she has been dropped from a lucrative contract with fashion chain River Island. While ITV has said, ‘ We will remain in contact with her over the coming months about future series of Love Island’. It may be that in terms of her career, this is one tabloid storm too far.
‘I’m tired of the abuse – this is not a witch hunt, this is someone’s life’