Caroline Flack, a former host of the British version of Love Island, has died.
According to a statement issued by her family’s lawyer, the longtime UK television presenter was found dead in her London apartment after an apparent suicide. She was only 40 years old.
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The Flack family has also released a separate statement to Sky News confirming Caroline’s passing:
“We can confirm that our Caroline passed away today on the 15th February. We would ask that the press both respect the privacy of the family at this difficult time.”
So sad.
Caroline’s on-camera career included hosting gigs on I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! NOW! from 2009 to 2010 and The Xtra Factor from 2011 until 2013. She went on to snag a coveted spot as presenter of The X Factor (British version) in 2014 and also began hosting on Love Island within the following year. She also appeared as a guest on shows Loose Women and Celebrity Juice and triumphed as a competitor on Strictly Come Dancing in 2014.
Flack’s death comes just weeks before she was due to go on trial this March for allegedly assaulting partner Lewis Burton; in December, he accused her of hitting him with a lamp but later reportedly backtracked on these claims. Caroline pleaded not guilty to the charge at the time of her arrest. However, the dispute forced her to step down from her position on Love Island and she was eventually replaced by ITV2‘s Lauren Whitmore.
On the Thursday before she took her own life, Caroline took to her Instagram Story and shared a message with her followers about addressing the drama with Burton, but later changed her mind about commenting. She wrote:
“I’m going to speak today… mine and my family’s life is no longer up for entertainment or gossip.”
On Friday, her partner posted a cute photo of the two and included a loving Valentine’s Day message to Flack. But just a day later, she was gone.
In the wake of Caroline’s death, fellow British TV personalities have already started sharing heartfelt tributes.
Jameela Jamil hopped on Twitter to express her anger and sadness over the shocking news:
“It was only a matter of time before the media and a prolonged social media dogpile, hers lasted for MONTHS, pushed someone completely over the edge. Rest In Peace Caroline Flack. This is f***ing horrendous. ?”
And Good Morning Britain host Piers Morgan shared a lovely image of Flack and wrote:
“Caroline was a fun, bright & sparky person whose whole world collapsed recently, both professionally & personally. She told me it had been the worst time of her life, and was clearly struggling to cope with losing everything she held dear. This is such sad, awful news.”
R.I.P.
[Image via WENN/Avalon]
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