Get the latest entertainment news, reviews and star-studded interviews with our Independent Culture email
Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter
Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter
A newly unearthed video, recorded just days before her death, reveals TV presenter Caroline Flack’s profound distress over losing her job and enduring public abuse following her arrest.
The poignant footage forms part of a new documentary exploring the circumstances surrounding her tragic passing.
Flack, the former host of Love Island, died in February 2020. The two-part series, Caroline Flack: Search For The Truth, features her mother, Christine Flack, investigating the assault charge and resulting media storm.
A coroner ruled in August 2020 that Flack took her own life after learning prosecutors would proceed with the assault charge, stemming from an incident where she hit Lewis Burton with her phone while he slept, due to concerns of infidelity.
The documentary features Flack’s mother examining material from her daughter’s phones, including voice notes and texts revealing her inner turmoil.
In a video after her December 2019 arrest, Flack said: “I’m doing this because I want to remember what I went through and what my family went through, what my boyfriend went through, what his family went through.”
open image in gallery
‘I’m doing this because I want to remember what I went through and what my family went through,’ said Flack (PA Archive)
She recounted her experience: “It’s three days after I’ve been arrested for having a fight with my boyfriend. I’ve always co-operated with the police since they arrived. I was put in a cell. I was promised that I was anonymous and this wouldn’t be going further, and it was a really private situation.”
Flack expressed her dismay at the leak of information, adding: “Five minutes after I left the station, they’ve gone to the press, all the details, everything. Since then, I lost my job, the job I’ve worked all my life on. I’m living in a hotel. I’m receiving so much abuse.”
Visibly distressed in the footage, Flack also remarked: “It was a fight. I’ve never hurt anyone in my life, the only person I ever hurt is myself.”
Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 day
New subscribers only. £9.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled.
Try for free
ADVERTISEMENT. If you sign up to this service we will earn commission. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.
Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 day
New subscribers only. £9.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled.
Try for free
ADVERTISEMENT. If you sign up to this service we will earn commission. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.
Further texts shown in the documentary reveal her escalating anxiety, with one message reading: “I’m having a big panic attack. I think I’m going to prison.” Another stated: “I literally cannot be papped it’s ruining my life.”
Friend Mollie Grosberg offered insight into Flack’s immediate reaction to her arrest, stating: “The minute that he (Burton) called the police, she just thought, ‘I am done. My career is over. My boyfriend’s gone. I might as well be dead’.”
The documentary also highlights Flack’s long-standing struggles with mental health. Her mother, Christine, revealed that a doctor once suggested her daughter had bipolar disorder, then known as manic depression.
“She didn’t want to be told that. She didn’t want a label,” Ms Flack explained. “She hated having this mental health problem, and it was always hushed up. If anyone mentioned it, it was the worst thing you could do.”
Furthermore, Flack’s former agent, Louisa Booth, claimed that a psychiatric report submitted to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), deeming Flack mentally unfit for court, was disregarded. Ms Booth stated: “We had professional analysis and that was ignored. We were so taken aback, actually, that they dismissed the report from the psychiatrist.”
In 2023, Ms Flack rejected an apology from the Metropolitan Police for not recording the rationale behind charging her daughter with assault.
open image in gallery
Christine Flack examines her daughter’s tragic passing in the new documetnary (Disney+)
A Met spokesperson acknowledged the profound impact of Flack’s death, stating: “Caroline Flack’s tragic death had a profound impact on many, not least her family and friends who continue to come to terms with their loss.” The Commissioner had offered condolences, recognising the family’s difficult five years. Independent reviews and an inquest found no officer misconduct, but the Met admitted organisational learning on record-keeping.
“The Independent Office for Police Conduct asked the Met to apologise to Caroline’s family for the absence of a recorded rationale in the CPS appeal process. We have done so and acknowledged the impact this has had on them,” the statement concluded.
A CPS spokesperson reiterated condolences, stating: “Caroline’s death was a tragedy and our thoughts remain with her friends and family as they continue to come to terms with their loss and the circumstances that led to her death.” They maintained that “all decisions in this case were made on the basis of the medical opinion available to us at the time,” and that “a person’s celebrity status never influences whether a case is taken forward.”
The CPS concluded by affirming: “We are satisfied that the prosecution was correctly brought.”
Both episodes of Caroline Flack: Search For The Truth will be available on Disney+ now.
If you are experiencing feelings of distress and isolation, or are struggling to cope, The Samaritans offer support; you can speak to someone for free over the phone, in confidence, on 116 123 (UK and ROI), email jo@samaritans.org, or visit the Samaritans website to find details of your nearest branch.
