When the news of former Love Island host Caroline Flack committing suicide broke, it raised several questions behind the reasons that led to the 40-year-old taking the extreme fatal step. Now, an unpublished Instagram post written by Flack days before her death has outlined the possible reasons that led to her death. The post was made public by her family.
Flack was arrested in December following an alleged physical assault on her 27-year-old boyfriend Lewis Burton after she suspected him of having an affair with another woman. Following the arrest, the show dropped Flack like a hot potato and replaced her with Laura Whitmore for the upcoming season being shot at Cape Town. Flack, who had pleaded not guilty to the charges against her, was currently out on bail and was to appear in the trial, beginning on March 4. An inquest into Flack's death has been opened by the court.
Flack insisted she was 'Not a Domestic abuser' in her unpublished post
Flack's mother Chris Flack released the contents of the 344 words unpublished Instagram post with Eastern Daily Press. Chris said that Flack was advised by her family, friends and team to not publish it on social media. "My family and I would like people to read her own words. Carrie was surrounded by love and friends but this was just too much for her. As Carrie would say: 'In a nasty world just be kind," said Chris.
Describing the dark phase that ensued following her arrest as her "whole world" being swept from under her feet, Flack wrote: "For a lot of people, being arrested for common assault is an extreme way to have some sort of spiritual awakening but for me it's become the normal."
"I've been pressing the snooze button on many stresses in my life – for my whole life. I've accepted shame and toxic opinions on my life for over 10 years and yet told myself it's all part of my job. No complaining. The problem with brushing things under the carpet is ... they are still there and one day someone is going to lift that carpet up and all you are going to feel is shame and embarrassment."
Flack called the assault on Burton an 'accident'
In her unpublished post, Flack went on to describe the events on the night of December 12, last year, which led to her arrest: "On December the 12th 2019 I was arrested for common assault on my boyfriend. Within 24 hours my whole world and future was swept from under my feet and all the walls that I had taken so long to build around me, collapsed. I am suddenly on a different kind of stage and everyone is watching it happen."
"I have always taken responsibility for what happened that night. Even on the night. But the truth is ... it was an accident. I've been having some sort of emotional breakdown for a very long time. But I am not a domestic abuser. We had an argument and an accident happened. An accident. The blood that someone SOLD to a newspaper was MY blood and that was something very sad and very personal," she wrote.
Professional tennis player Burton had not agreed to the charges levied against Flack in the court by prosecutor Katie Weiss. Burton had also raised objections over the bail restriction imposed on Flack against meeting or contacting him and did not want Britain's Crown Prosecution Service to pursue the trial.
'The truth has been taken out of my hands and used as entertainment'- Flack
Towards the end of the post, one could feel the helplessness being felt by Flack who lost a high-flying career overnight and becoming a centre of public hatred. "I've lost my job. My home. My ability to speak. And the truth has been taken out of my hands and used as entertainment," she said towards the end of her post.
"I can't spend every day hidden away being told not to say or speak to anyone. I'm so sorry to my family for what I have brought upon them and for what my friends have had to go through. I'm not thinking about 'how I'm going to get my career back'. I'm thinking about how I'm going to get mine and my family's life back. I can't say anymore than that," wrote Flack.
Flack's management team had issued a statement soon after her death, blaming Britain's Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) for pursuing the case even after Burton had objected to the allegations levied upon Flack. "The CPS should look at themselves today and how they pursued a show trial that was not only without merit but not in the public interest. And ultimately resulted in significant distress to Caroline," said the team in a statement released earlier.
