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After Caroline Flack’s Shutdown of Love Island Following Assault Allegations, She Passed Away Tragically Later
In December 2019, Caroline Flack, a popular British TV presenter and a reality shows’ fan, announced her exit from Love Island after her personal allegations, which she didn’t want to give the series a bad vibe. Almost two months later, she committed suicide. The allegations were aimed at an incident in December 2019 with her boyfriend, tennis player Lewis Burton. As a result, she was arrested for assault, a charge she denied. Her trial was set for March 4, 2020.
Upon completion of the investigation, Poplar Coroner’s Court, in its report on Caroline Flack’s mental health fluctuations, stated that she was very anxious about losing her job and a court hearing which she was dreading. The death causes recorded were the singer’s mental health problems and the upcoming trial being identified as the primary reasons for the suicide.
On the basis of the evidence, the coroner indicated that prosecution and the media pressure were the primary reasons for Caroline Flack’s suicide
In an interview with Sky News, coroner Mary Hassell explained that in her view, the main reason for Flack’s suicide was the fact that she “knew she was being prosecuted for sure” and that she feared the harsh media scrutiny she would receive. “For me, it is essentially the main thing,” Hassell said to Sky News.
In 2025, Hulu released a two-part docuseries Caroline Flack: Search for the Truth. The film is about the sad death of the TV presenter and it features the interviews of friends and family, from whom the perspectives of the time leading up to it are shared.
What happened to Caroline Flack?
A tragic and sad suicide is what the death of Caroline Flack was according to the Poplar Coroner’s Court. The autopsy report recorded her death as “one by suspension by ligature,” as per the quote by Coroner’s officer Sandra Polson. The rescue operation that the police and paramedics carried out was unsuccessful.
The coroner, Mary Hassell, reminded that fame is a double-edged sword. Flack’s rise to fame made her exposure to the extremely and mercilessly hard media that according to the coroner was among the reasons most heavily weighed in her demise, which the coroner also mentioned in her report.
When did Caroline Flack die?
Caroline Flack passed away on 15th of February 2020, after a period of controversy and drama following her assault charge of her boyfriend, Lewis Burton. The documentary series on Hulu, Caroline Flack: Search for the Truth, reported that during the fight in December 2019, Flack apparently discovered a message from another woman on Burton’s phone while he was asleep. She confronted him and hit him with the phone, thus giving him a minor head injury. Calling the police was what Burton did.
At first, the Crown Prosecution Service decided not to take the case against Flack, as they noted the injured party did not support the allegation. However, a detective from the Metropolitan Police who was not happy with that decision, made an appeal and Flack was charged later that month. On Instagram Stories, Burton denied that Flack had hit him and said that he was “gutted” that he couldn’t protect her.
Loved ones feared for Caroline Flack’s life before court appearance
The night before her highly publicized court hearing—where she pleaded not guilty—Caroline Flack’s close friends grew deeply concerned about her mental state. In the Hulu docuseries Caroline Flack: Search for the Truth, friend Mollie Grosberg recalled Flack calling people while slurring her words. “I knew then, something was going on,” Grosberg said.
She described how Flack had “drank the minibar dry” and taken “whatever tablets” were in her hotel room, prompting friends to force her to vomit. “We were just freaking out because the next day was the hearing,” Grosberg said, “but also, I was thinking she’s going to die.”
Where was Caroline Flack found dead?
Caroline Flack died at her home in Stok Newington, a district in London. It was reported by The Sun and Sky News that emergency services were called to her residence the night before her death. After medical examination, she was allowed to stay at home as she was in good health and no hospital transport was made.
A spokesperson said the following: “Operatives went on the scene and, after a clinical evaluation, the person was not taken to hospital. We cannot say more because of patient confidentiality.”
How old was Caroline Flack?
Caroline Flack was only 40 years old when she died. Those who were closest to her made lovely and heartfelt tributes to her on the day that would have been her 41st birthday.
One of the closest friends Mollie Grosberg wrote on her Instagram in November 2020: “Birthday wishes to Caroline… We talk and think about you every single day… First heaven birthday to you angel.”
Afterward, the Love Island host with the next-best-hand Laura Whitmore, took to her Instagram to post a picture of a red heart-shaped balloon with the words “we love you.” She also requested people to be kind and support each other as she was reminding her followers.
Public reaction to Caroline Flack’s death mixed with sadness and outrage
The passing of Caroline Flack was met with a mixture of tears and anger. Her family, among others, considered it a needless, unfair, and ultimately tragic death. At the 2020 inquest hearing, Flack’s mother and twin sister shared their feelings that the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) had a bias against her because she was a celebrity.
Chris Flack, Caroline’s mother, spoke to the court: “To me, this was a demonstration trial. The prosecutor was not only harsh to Caroline, but also to my family. It should not be that a person who is well-known is allowed to get away with something, but it should not be that making an example of someone is allowed.”
The management company of the singer also leveled criticism at the CPS, noting that even the alleged victim “had disputed” the agency’s “version of events.”
Family and management criticize CPS over Caroline Flack’s prosecution; investigations find no wrongdoing
The family and the management of Flack threw an accusation at the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) of a ‘show trial’ leading to her distress. In a statement, it was said, “The CPS has to look at their own selves today when they were out pursuing a show trial that was not only groundless but also not in the public interest.”
Nevertheless, both the London Metropolitan Police and the CPS investigations, which concluded in March 2020, found that the handling of the case was proper. The Independent Office for Police Conduct found no link between police actions and Flack’s death.
In the same month, a petition with more than 850,000 signatures requesting the UK government to make media bullying and harassment a criminal offense, named “Caroline’s Law”, was handed over, but there has been no further parliamentary action.
