You poor girl.. my heart is breaking
TV host dies at 40 after assault trial anguish
wrote: “Awful news about Caroline Flack. We really need to be better at taking care of each other. So sad.”
This Morning host Phillip Schofield paid tribute on Instagram with a message which read: “In a world where you can be anything, be kind.”
He wrote: “You poor darling girl, my heart is breaking.”
Laura Whitmore, who took over presenting Love Island after Caroline’s arrest, posted a picture of the pair on Twitter and wrote: “I’m trying to find the words but I can’t.”
Dermot O’Leary posted a picture of himself with Caroline on Instagram.
He said: “Just the worst news. Poor soul. Sending love to hers, and yours. Hold them tight tonight people.”
Caroline’s mainstream TV career began on E4 Music and CBBC before she became co- host of a reboot of 90s show Gladiators with Ian Wright in 2009 on Sky One.
That same year she became the presenter of an I’m A Celebrity… spin-off alongside Joe Swash and Russell Kane.
She left in 2011 to host The Xtra Factor with singer Olly Murs.
CaCarolo inee aandd Mursus werewee tthen e promoted to host the main ITV show, replacing O’Leary.
Aside from her TV presenting jobs, Caroline was a reality TV regular and took part in Strictly in 2014 alongside Judy Murray, winning the glitterball with Pasha Kovalev.
She admitted she struggled in the aftermath of the show, saying: “I just couldn’t pick myself up that next year.”
In March 2019, Caroline took part in an episode of Channel 4’s Great Celebrity Bake Off for Stand Up To Cancer with other celebrities including journalist Krishnan Guru- Murthy, actor Greg Wise and boxer Nicola Adams.
She made her West End stage debut playing Roxie Hart in Chicago in 2018, having previously appeared on stage in a touring version of Crazy For You.
But it was on Love Island that she became a household name as the ITV2 show rocketed from its lowly place on the TV schedules to become an unlikely and unexpected ratings sensation.
Caroline was credited as a major part of the sunshine dating show’s incredible success. When it won a Bafta in 2015, she picked up the award.
Her love life attracted at least as much media attention as her TV work thanks to romances with the likes of Harry Styles and Prince Harry.
In 2011, she was l inked to One Direction star Styles, who had been on The X Factor the previous year when he was 17 and she was 31.
In her autobiography, Caroline went into detail about how she met Prince Harry on a night out in 2009 through mutual friend Natal ie Pinkham following a split with a boyfriend.
In Storm In A C Cup, she said the pair “spent the evening chatting and laughing”. But she added: “Once the story got out, that was it. We had to stop seeing each other. I was no longer Caroline Flack, TV presenter, I was Caroline Flack, Prince Harry’s bit of rough.”
Her world was turned upside down after the alleged incident in December, which saw her lose the job she loved.
She entered a not guilty plea to the assault charge at Highbury Corner Magistrates’ Court and was released on bail, with conditions that stopped her having any contact with Lewis ahead of the trial due to start next month.
There had been media reports about the state of the relationship but Lewis had shared a post declaring his love for Caroline on his Instagram Stories on Valentine’s Day.
Along with a picture of the two of them together, he wrote: “Happy Valentine’s, love you.”
Caroline had also taken to social media shortly before her death, sharing a collage of pictures of herself with her pet dog on Instagram on Friday.
In October last year, Caroline opened up about her struggles on Instagram to mark World Mental Health Day.
She said: “The last few weeks I’ve been in a really weird place… I find it hard to talk about it.
“I guess it’s anxiety and pressure of life… and when I actually reached out to someone, they said I was draining. I feel like this is why some people keep their emotions to themselves.
“I certainly hate talking about my feelings. And being a burden is my biggest fear… I’m lucky to be able to pick myself up when things feel s**t.
“But what happens if someone can’t. Be nice to people. You never know what’s going on. Ever.”