Caroline Flack has insisted she will ‘not be silenced’ after taking to Instagram with a festive message for her fans on Christmas Eve.
The beleaguered presenter, 40, was at Highbury Magistrate’s Court on Monday, where she pleaded guilty to assaulting model boyfriend Lewis Burton at her Islington home in scenes that were later described by police-officers as ‘a horror movie.’
But Caroline, who stood down as host of ITV2 show Love Island following her arrest in December, remained defiant as she spoke to her followers the following evening, despite admitting she still has ‘some lessons’ to learn.
Speaking out: Caroline Flack has insisted she will ‘not be silenced’ after taking to Instagram with a festive message for her fans on Christmas Eve
Sharing an old image of herself on the red carpet, she wrote: ‘Been advised not to go on social media … but I wanted to say happy Christmas to everyone who has been so incredibly kind to me this year…..
‘this kind of scrutiny and speculation is a lot to take on for one person to take on their own… I’m a human being at the end of the day and I’m not going to be silenced when I have a story to tell and a life to keep going with ….
‘I’m taking some time out to get feeling better and learn some lessons from situations I’ve got myself into to.I have nothing but love to give and best wishes for everyone.’
Flack is photographed as she leaves Highbury Corner Magistrates’ Court in North London after the hearing yesterday. After being ordered not to speak to Lewis Burton over Christmas, she will spend the festive period with friends and tomorrow volunteer at a charity
Lewis Burton leaves Highbury Corner Magistrates’ Court after his girlfriend Flack pleaded not guilty to assaulting him
Sources close to the embattled presenter told MailOnline she is staying with friends in London over Christmas after being ordered by a judge not to contact boyfriend Lewis, who she denies clobbering with a lamp while he slept.
She will spend tomorrow helping at Golden Years, a Hackney-based charity which is throwing a lunch for socially isolated elderly people.
Finding volunteering ‘rewarding’, Flack regularly gives up her time on December 25 and last year posted a picture of herself helping at a church in Stoke Newington.
Finding volunteering ‘rewarding’, Flack regularly gives up her time on December 25 and last year posted a picture of herself helping at a church in Stoke Newington
Despite being engulfed in a bruising court battle, the ex-Love Island host will swallow her relationship heartbreak – and assault charge – to continue her tradition of volunteering.
Caroline and her partner were both allegedly covered in blood when police arrived at their flat in Islington, North London, on December 12 – with one officer describing the chaotic scene as ‘like a horror movie’.
Flack’s 2010 ‘lamp’ tweet resurfaces
Caroline Flack’s tweet from 2010 hailing her new lamp has resurfaced in the wake of her assault charge.
The Love Island host is accused of smacking boyfriend Lewis Burton with a lamp while her slept on December 12.
And it transpired that nine years ago the 40-year-old presenter tweeted about a lamp.
She tweeted: ‘I also love my new lamp’.
After Flack appeared at court yesterday, social media users leaped on the tweet.
One said: ‘That didn’t age very well’
Yesterday, she pleaded not guilty to common assault and was released on bail until her trial in March.
She was accused of ‘going mad’ and smashing a glass after looking at texts which made her think Mr Burton was cheating, with him saying in a 999 call that she ‘tried to kill me, mate’, Highbury Corner Magistrates’ Court heard.
Lewis was said to have been ‘almost begging the operator to send help’ with his face ‘covered in blood’, while Flack – who has now been replaced as Love Island host by Laura Whitmore – allegedly had two cuts to her wrist.
Lewis posted a picture of himself kissing Caroline, hours after a judge said she was banned from contacting Mr Burton and from attending his address – which left both Flack and Mr Burton with their head in their hands.
He wrote on Instagram: ‘It’s heartbreaking I can’t see my girlfriend over Christmas. What I witnessed today was horrible.
‘She did not hit me with a lamp. Arguments do happen every day in every relationship. Gutted I am not allowed to protect her right now.’
After being taken into custody, ITV host Caroline – whom the court heard was ‘manipulative’ towards Mr Burton and accused him of ruining her life – allegedly flipped over a table and had to be restrained on the ground by police.
She has now been released on bail until her trial on March 4 next year.
Love Island host Caroline Flack leaves Highbury Corner Magistrates’ Court in North London yesterday with two police officers
Mr Burton posted a picture of himself with Flack on his Instagram, with the comment: ‘It’s heartbreaking I can’t see my girlfriend over Christmas. ‘What I witnessed today was horrible. Arguments do happen every day in every relationship. ‘Gutted I am not allowed to protect her right now.’
Her boyfriend was allegedly left with ‘significant head injuries’ and claimed in the 999 call that Caroline had ‘cracked my head open’, but the court heard Flack wants to ‘spend time’ with him over the Christmas and New Year period.
She broke down in tears as she sat in the dock. Holding her hand in front of her eyes, she sniffed.
The judge gave Caroline’s legal team until January 20 next year to provide further evidence to the court.
She put her head in her hands as the judge refused an application to remove bail conditions preventing her from contacting Mr Burton directly or indirectly and from attending his address.
Lewis, in the public gallery, also put his hand to his face, before the couple left the courtroom separately.
Defiant: Caroline Flack was in surprisingly high spirits following her emotional court appearance, as she grabbed a coffee with pals in East London on Christmas Eve after being banned from seeing her boyfriend Lewis Burton
Chatty: Caroline appeared to brush off her recent woes as she chatted to her friends while picking up some last-minute Christmas presents
Supportive: She was supported in the wake of her first court appearance as they stepped out together in the capital