Caroline Flack
The presenter heads to LA to clear her mind ahead of assault trial
Caroline Flack looked glum as she jetted off to Los Angeles last week, but new can reveal she’s hoping the time away will help take her mind off her relationship with Lewis Burton amid her upcoming assault trial.
“Caroline is an emotional wreck right now,” an insider told us. “She has to keep herself on the go and distracted so she doesn’t fall down the rabbit hole of worrying about her relationship with Lewis.
“She’s been driving herself crazy not being able to communicate with him and she’s really worried about how it’s going to impact them as a couple. If she did have any fears or insecurities before all this drama, they have all shot through the roof now and she doesn’t know what to do with herself.”
The 40-year-old’s bail conditions mean she is banned from all contact with tennis coach Lewis ahead of her 4 March court case for assault by beating – and it’s taking its toll.
“Caroline’s close family and friends have been trying to keep her grounded,” our source added. “They’ve reminded her Lewis said he’s sticking by her. He’s publicly declared his love for her and wants to wait for her.
“Caroline booked herself a getaway to Los Angeles to weigh up her career crisis and take her mind off all the things she can’t control right now, like her relationship with Lewis.”
Before heading to Hollywood, she posted about getting her head together. “This kind of scrutiny and speculation is a lot to take on for one person to take on their own,” Caroline wrote. “I’m not going to be silenced when I have a story to tell. I’m taking some time out to get feeling better and learn some lessons from situations I’ve got myself into.”
Caroline has a string of activities planned in the States to help her clear her mind. “She’s been going on hikes, practising yoga and meditation and indulging in spa treatments,” our mole added.
“She knows that in the coming months she’s going to have to be really strong and she wants to make sure she’s looking fitter and feeling better than ever.”
After stepping down as host of the winter series of Love Island, Caroline admitted she was going through the “worst time of my life”. But our insider says that in court she’s determined to tell her version of the events of the 12 December row that ended in her arrest – and she believes she can get her career back on track.
“She doesn’t feel as though this is the end for her and Love Island. She still feels as though she can get her side of the story across and get the public back on side,” our mole revealed.
“She’s not lying when she says this has been the worst time of her life, but she’s also determined to prove what a fighter she is and that she can come through the other side.”
Caroline broke down in court last month as barrister Kate
Weiss outlined the case against her. She’s accused of hitting Lewis, 27, with a lamp while he slept – something he’s denied and Caroline pleaded not guilty to. However, the court heard the 999 call in which Lewis said, “I’ve just woken up, she has cracked my head open. She tried to kill me, mate.”
The barrister stated, “He is almost begging the operator to send help. She calls him an arsehole repeatedly. He had been asleep and had been hit in the head with a lamp. His face was covered in blood. She had seen text messages which had led her to believe he was cheating on her.”
Caroline claims she is innocent of the charge, while Lewis insists it was an argument that happens “every day in every relationship”.
However, the barrister alleged, “It is clear the defendant is manipulative towards him. She calls him an arsehole and vile and says he has ruined her life, when she has ruined her own
life by committing the assault.”
When images of Caroline’s blood-stained bed went viral, Lewis took to social media to post, “This isn’t my blood and I didn’t get hit over the head with a lamp. I love this girl more than anything no one knows what’s going on or what’s happened.”
Caroline is now said to be counting the days until her trial.
“She’s been crying herself to sleep most nights and then doing her best to put a brave face on the next day,” our source said. “Her pals are rallying around her, but without Lewis there, it’s not really doing much good at all.
“She is desperate for all of this to be over so they can start again from the beginning. Caroline knows she has to be patient, but the time apart is breaking her heart.”
Another insider told new that Caroline is terrified about what could happen to her. “She’s petrified about what the future holds and is feeling incredibly low and lost right now,” our mole said.
“Everyone’s hoping some time out to gather her thoughts will avoid her spiralling any further and give her the strength to get through the next couple of months. Hopefully that will ensure she comes back from this and can start turning her life around.”