By Sheila Mckenzie-
Caroline Flack’s personal trauma was played out in the national press, and this was very distressing for her, and affected her mental health, a coroner today said.
Popular Flack, a television host for Britain’s well watched Love Island series, took her own life after finding out she was definitely going to be prosecuted for assault, and feared the publicity that would come with the trial, coroner Mary Hassell firmly concluded.
Coroner Hassell said the Love Island presenter’s alleged assault of boyfriend Lewis Burton being “played out in the national press” following her arrest was “incredibly difficult for her”, and had a serious impact on her mental health.
Hassell said she was “satisfied [Ms Flack] wanted to cause her own death” and “there’s no doubt in my mind at all”.
“For some, it seems she had a charmed life , but the more famous she got the more mentally distressed she became,” the coroner said.
“Her trauma was played out in the national press and that was incredibly distressing for her.” Regular press coverage of Ms Flack became more intense following her criminal charge of assaulting Lewis Burton- a young tennis player, 14 years her junior, whom she really liked.
Ms Flack lost her temper after discovering text messages from Ms Burton to other women, though the entire context of those messages were never clarified in the open before her tragic death. Once charged. Ms Flack was prevented from contacting the man she loved directly or indirectly, the final nail in her coffin being the news that she would be prosecuted in a court of law in the full view of a hostile press.
A pathologist ruled Ms Flack died from hanging after police found her naked and covered in blood bleeding from her wrist at her flat in Stoke Newington, east london.
Hounding
The inquest also heard from Lewis Burton that sections of the media had been “hounding” the presenter over the alleged assault of Lewis Burton, which she denied.
Flack, 40, died at her flat in north London in February, weeks ahead of a scheduled trial over the incident in December 2019. The day before her death, Flack discovered prosecutors were definitely pressing ahead with the case – dashing her hopes that an appeal by her lawyers would lead to the case being dropped.
The inquest, which took place over two days at Poplar Coroner’s Court in East London, heard that the Crown Prosecution Service initially decided to caution the star – but charged her following an appeal by police for the decision to be reviewed.
Mental State
Coroner Ms Hassell made her conclusion of suicide, saying: “Although [Flack’s] general fluctuating [mental] state was a background and important in her death, I find the reason for her taking her life was she now knew she was being prosecuted for certainty, and she knew she would face the media, press, publicity – it would all come down upon her. “To me that’s it in essence.”
Flack’s mother took a swipe at DI Bate, the detective inspector who called for Ms Flack to be charged with assault rather than given a caution because there was no “clear” admission of guilt. His comments are not consistent with an admission made by the late star to have committed the offence.
DI Bateman said Flack had given different accounts about what happened on the night of her arrest.
Flack had hit Burton in a rage with an object while he was asleep. When officers arrived at the scene, the couple were both injured, the detective said.
The Love Island presenter told police: “I did, I whacked him round the head like that,” while gesturing a swinging motion with her hand.
“I admit I did it,” she said. “I used the phone. I had his phone in one hand, and my phone in the other. I whacked him round the head – there’s no excuse for it, I was upset.”
She also told officers that Mr Burton was cheating on her.
She was found “naked and covered in blood” by police on the night she was arrested on suspicion of assaulting her boyfriend Lewis Burton last year.