Watch: Caroline Flack's Cause of Death ConfirmedContent warning: This story discusses suicide, self-harm and allegations of domestic violence. Caroline Flack's family and friends are sharing her story. In Caroline Flack: Search for the Truth, the Love Island U.K. host's inner circle debunked assumptions surrounding a December 2019 domestic incident involving her and boyfriend Lewis Burton, detailing how the media circus surrounding allegations against the 40-year-old led to her suicide months later. "I want the real Caroline to be remembered," her mom Christine Flack shared in the docuseries, released on Disney+ and Hulu Nov. 10. "Not this Caroline that was portrayed in the press." At the time of her death, Caroline was facing trial on one count of assault by beating from prosecutors accusing of her of smashing a lamp over Lewis' head during an argument at her London apartment. And though Lewis denied the prosecution's account of the incident-with Caroline pleading not guilty to her charge-she was skewered by tabloids, exacerbating mental issues that she was already facing privately. (Lewis did not participate in the docuseries.)readCaroline Flack's Family Reveals Details From Her "Very Sad" Final Days Prior to Suicide"What she was going through, it was just so over the top for what actually happened that night," Christine said of her late daughter. "The punishment was so disproportionate given the risks to her health." And the paparazzi hounding at her door, the onslaught of online criticism and the looming threat of prison time, according to Christine, Caroline was "in a place where she saw no way out."Peter Manning/LNP/Shutterstock"The feeling of how bad she must've felt to do what she did, that's the thing that stays with me," the matriarch continued. "You're not strange if you've got depression. You're not strange if you've got mental health problems. You're normal." She added, "It is corny when we say, 'Be kind.' It's a small phrase but it means such a lot. If people live by that, then the world would be much nicer." For more from Caroline Flack: Search for the Truth, read on.
If you or someone you know needs help, call 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. You can also call the network, previously known as the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, at 800-273-8255, text HOME to 741741 or visit SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for additional resources.
Mark R Milan/ShutterstockDid Caroline Flack Hit Her Boyfriend Lewis Burton With a Lamp?In Caroline Flack: Search for the Truth, the friends and family of the late Love Island U.K. host Caroline Flack-who died by suicide in 2020 after she was accused of assaulting her boyfriend Lewis Burton-explore what really happened at her London apartment on the night of Dec. 12, 2019. Though prosecutors alleged in court that Caroline had smashed a lamp over Lewis' head during an argument, resulting in what they described as a bloody "scene from a horror movie," a police report obtained by her mom Christine Flack said otherwise. "It is unclear what object was actually used to assault Mr. Burton," Christine read from the report in the documentary. "He initially stated to officers that he assumed that it was a desk fan or a lamp. Mr. Burton stated, 'I don't know what it was.'" The police report obtained by Christine also said that Caroline's phone was "seized as it has a significant amount of blood on it and a crack on one of the corners, suggesting this may have been the weapon." Before her death, Caroline maintained that she had struck Lewis while a phone was in her hand. for his part, Lewis had also denied being hit with a lamp.
Joe Giddens/PA Images via Getty ImagesCaroline Flack Harmed Herself on Night of the Incident With Lewis Burton, Say Family and FriendsAs for the blood found in Caroline's apartment, her family and friends said it belonged to the Strictly Come Dancing alum after she attempted suicide in front of Lewis. "She thought, 'I'm done. My career is over, my boyfriend is gone, I might as well be dead,'" friend Mollie Grosberg recounted on what Caroline told her following the incident. "She said to me, 'I found some broken glass and I sliced as deep as I could into my wrist. I wanted to die. I just wanted it to be over.'" According to Chrstine, Caroline's injuries were so severe that doctors told her that she would need plastic surgery to repair.
David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images for JW Marriott Grosvenor House LondonProsecutors Allegedly Didn't Want to Press Charges at FirstChristine said the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) initially wanted to let Caroline off with a legal warning since she had no history of domestic violence and Lewis didn't want to press charges, but an unnamed detective with London's Metropolitan Police Service made an appeal. After an investigation from watchdog group Independent Office for Police Conduct, Christine alleged that the detective "applied the wrong criteria" when deciding if Caroline's case warranted prosecuti