Top British TV presenter Caroline Flack found dead

Top Stories

Top British TV presenter, Caroline Flack

London - The 40-year-old star was found at her London flat having taken her own life.

By AFP, AP

  • Follow us on
  • google-news
  • whatsapp
  • telegram

Published: Sun 16 Feb 2020, 6:09 AM

Last updated: Mon 17 Feb 2020, 12:51 AM

British television presenter Caroline Flack was found dead on Saturday, her family said in a statement, the third star connected with the hit reality show 'Love Island' to have died.
"We can confirm that our Caroline passed away today on the 15th February," the 40-year-old's family said in a statement.
British media reported that the star, who was soon to go on trial accused of assaulting her boyfriend, was found at her London flat having taken her own life.
She was best known for previously hosting the smash show 'Love Island', whose future has been thrown into doubt by a string of tragedies.
British commercial network ITV, which broadcasts the show, said in a statement that "everybody at 'Love Island' and ITV is shocked and saddened by this desperately sad news."
"Caroline was a much-loved member of the 'Love Island' team, and our sincere thoughts and condolences are with her family and friends," the network statement said.
The sixth season of the show is currently airing. A "Love Island" highlights episode titled "Unseen Bits" that was set to air Saturday evening on ITV2 was pulled from the schedule after Flack's death was announced.
The next new 'Love Island' episode is scheduled for broadcast on Sunday. The network did not indicate if it will air it.
'Love Island' deposits young and attractive contestants in a tropical paradise, where they must pair up or risk being exiled. Critics claim the program puts vulnerable young people under intense scrutiny and pressure, increased by blanket tabloid newspaper coverage of the show.
Two former 'Love Island' contestants, Sophie Gradon and Mike Thalassitis, died by suicide in 2018 and 2019.
Their deaths renewed a debate about the ethics of reality TV that has raged in the UK since producers started making British equivalents of sensationalist American programs like 'The Jerry Springer Show' two decades ago, putting ordinary people under a microscope on reality shows such as "Big Brother."
Until her arrest, Flack enjoyed a meteoric career rise after co-hosting Saturday morning children's television shows. She fronted companion shows to the popular ITV programs "I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!" and 'The X-Factor.'
Flack's career blossomed further after she won the BBC show 'Strictly Come Dancing' in 2014, the British version of 'Dancing With The Stars.' While hosting 'Love Island,' Flack made her West End stage debut in 2018, playing Roxie Hart in the musical 'Chicago.'
Fellow TV presenters expressed shock over her death on Saturday.
 
Talk show most Piers Morgan tweeted that Flack "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."
 
Another well-known host, Eamonn Holmes, tweeted: "Caroline Flack .... Dear God. Shocked beyond belief. May she have found peace . (hash)Rip Has to be repercussions for Love Island now surely?"
 


More news from