Caroline Flack found dead: Love Island presenter dies at 40

Caroline Flack has been found dead at her London flat aged 40. 

Her family have been informed and in a statement tonight they said: ‘We can confirm that our Caroline passed away today on the 15th February. We would ask that the press both respect the privacy of the family at this difficult time.’

Flack was best known for previously fronting the hugely popular ITV2 show Love Island, which has tonight been rocked by the third death of one of its former stars.

Contestants Mike Thalassitis and Sophie Graydon took their own lives following their appearances on the dating programme, throwing the show’s future into question.  

Flack’s death comes just weeks before she was due to go on trial for assaulting partner Lewis Burton, who in December accused her of hitting him with a lamp before backtracking on these claims.

Yesterday, the model and tennis player posted a picture of him and Flack on Instagram and wrote: ‘Happy Valentine’s… Love You.’

His heartfelt snap followed an announcement by Flack that she was about to break her silence about her troubled personal life.

On Thursday she wrote: ‘I’m going to speak today… mine and my family’s life is no longer up for entertainment or gossip,’ 

But a source said she wrote the post ‘without thinking’ and changed her mind, vowing to keep quiet until the time was right. 

Love Island star Wes Nelson led tonight’s tributes to the ‘absolute diamond’ and said he was heartbroken by the death of ‘one of the warmest funniest people’. 

Flack’s death comes just weeks before she was due to go on trial for assaulting partner Lewis Burton, who in December accused her of hitting him with a lamp before backtracking on these claims. Yesterday, the model and tennis player posted a picture of him and Flack on Instagram and wrote: ‘Happy Valentine’s… Love You’

Fellow contestant Chris Hughes echoed these warm words and said: ‘Words can’t sum this up. So sad. Another amazing person taking from this cruel world…

‘Can’t believe to imagine the pain. God bless Caroline and her family. Rest tight.’

Police were seen outside the presenter’s residence, where she lived with Burton, during the early hours of December 14 after reports emerged that a man had been attacked. 

Photographs of the Flack’s blood spattered front door emerged the day before.

It was reported that Burton shouted ‘I was normal till I met her’ as she was arrested by police. 

Eyewitnesses have described ‘total chaos’ outside Flack’s home as police arrived to diffuse the situation with her boyfriend.

Flack was reportedly left in need of hospital treatment after accidentally cutting herself on broken glass during the incident.

A family friend said: ‘There is not much to say. We are not people who like to gossip. I hope people respect the situation.’ 

Her former fiancé Andrew Brady, who claimed he would have died if he remained in their relationship, took to Twitter in the early hours on December 14 to pen: ‘Sad that I’m not more surprised by the news’

Defiant: Caroline shared a smouldering snap on Thursday, after Lewis reached out to her previously on a post about her wall-climbing with a pal 

Something to say: The Love Island host took to Instagram to announce she will soon be giving her side of the story’- although it is now reported she had a ‘wobble’ and has now changed her mind about speaking out

Droplets of what appear to be blood were seen splattered on Caroline Flack’s home following her arrest for assaulting her boyfriend Lewis Burton

Police were scrambled to Flack’s north London home at 5.25am on December 12

Still on: Lewis, 28, pulled up alongside reporters outside his flat in London, on Thursday afternoon, and when asked about the rumoured break-up, he insisted the pair are still together