Caroline Flack was the Love Island presenter who had a meteoric rise to fame, but lost her dream job just months before she was found dead aged 40.
The star first rose to prominence as a CBBC presenter in the mid 2000s, before landing a job as the host of The Xtra Factor in 2011.
After being crowned Strictly Come Dancing champion in 2014, Caroline landed the ultimate job as Love Island’s host in 2015, but stepped down late last year after she was arrested for assault.
Career: Caroline Flack was the Love Island presenter who had a meteoric rise to fame, but lost her dream job just months before she was found dead aged 40
Caroline grew up in Great Hockham near Norwich with her twin sister Jody, and gained a place at a Cambridge stage school aged just 16.
She first rose to fame in the mid 2000s when she appeared on the CBBC series TMI with Sam Nixon and Mark Rhodes, and in 2008 took over from Kirsty Gallacher as the host of Gladiators.
In 2009 the star landed the job as the host of I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here Now! and in 2011 she joined forces with Olly Murs as the host of The Xtra Factor in replacement of Konnie Huq.
The pair took over as The X Factor’s main hosts in 2015, but were replaced by the returning Dermot O’ Leary following a mixed reaction from viewers.
The following year Caroline said she had learnt to ignore her detractors, telling The Sun: ‘Not everyone is going to like you so you have to filter it.’
Family: Caroline grew up in Great Hockham near Norwich with her twin sister Jody, and gained a place at a Cambridge stage school aged just 16 (pictured in a snap the star posted)
TV star: She first rose to fame in the mid 2000s when she hosted the CBBC series TMI, and in 2008 (pictured) took over from Kirsty Gallacher as the host of Gladiators
Dynamic duo: In 2011 she took over as host of The Xtra Factor alongside Olly Murs (above in 2012) and they went onto present the main show in 2015
Caroline went onto earn a whole new army of fans when she was crowned the winner of Strictly Come Dancing in 2014 alongside professional partner Pasha Kovalev.
Four years later, she talked about the difficulties she faced after lifting the Glitterball Trophy, telling The Sun that she felt as though her body was ‘covered’ in ‘clingfilm’ the morning after her dancefloor triumph, adding that she felt ‘ridiculous’ feeling so low.
She added: ‘I couldn’t get up and just couldn’t pick myself up at all that next year.’
In March 2019, Caroline took part in an episode of Channel 4’s charity show The Great Celebrity Bake Off for Stand Up To Cancer alongside other celebrities including journalist Krishnan Guru-Murthy, actor Greg Wise and boxer Nicola Adams.
Out: Caroline and Olly only hosted The X Factor for one series, but they were replaced by Dermot O’Leary after earning a mixed reaction from viewers
Caroline made her West End stage debut playing Roxie Hart in Chicago in 2018 having previously appeared on stage in a touring version of Crazy For You.
In 2015, she released an autobiography called Storm In A C Cup.
Aside from her career, Caroline’s love life has made headlines over the years thanks to romances with the likes of Harry Styles and Prince Harry.
In 2011, she was linked to One Direction star Harry, who had been on The X Factor the previous year, when he was 17 and she was 31.
In her autobiography, Caroline went into detail about how she met Prince Harry on a night out in 2009 through mutual friend Natalie Pinkham after she had split with a boyfriend.
She said they ‘spent the evening chatting and laughing’, but ‘once the story got out, that was it. We had to stop seeing each other.
‘I was no longer Caroline Flack, TV presenter, I was Caroline Flack, Prince Harry’s bit of rough.’
Riding high: Caroline earned a new army of fans when she was crowned the winner of Strictly Come Dancing in 2014 alongside professional partner Pasha Kovalev
CAROLINE FLACK’S TURBULENT LOVE LIFE
Prince Harry, aged 34
Short fling? Caroline revealed she was introduced to Prince Harry by their mutual friend Natalie Pinkham in 2009
Close: Caroline candidly admitted she nearly slept with Olly Murs when they presented The Xtra Factor together in 2011
- Caroline revealed she was introduced to Prince Harry by their mutual friend Natalie Pinkham, a Formula One correspondent for Sky Sports
- Sparks flew when the pair enjoyed a night out a decade ago in 2009, shortly after Caroline had split from another ex
- She later penned in her book: ‘Once the story got out, that was it. We had to stop seeing each other
- ‘I was no longer Caroline Flack, TV presenter. I was Caroline Flack, Prince Harry’s bit of rough’
Olly Murs, aged 35
- Caroline candidly admitted she nearly slept with Olly when they presented The Xtra Factor together in 2011
- They shared a kiss as they toasted her Cosmopolitan Ultimate Women Award with a private moment in the photobooth in November 2015
- The pair’s on-screen chemistry was all everyone could talk about when they hosted The Xtra Factor together from 2011 until 2012
- Rumours were swirling the pair were in the throes of love as they hosted The X Factor together in 2015 for a year
Toyboy lover: Back in 2011, Caroline was 31 when she started romancing 17-year-old Harry Styles
Harry Styles, aged 25
- Back in 2011, Caroline was 31 when she started romancing 17-year-old Harry
- The television host admitted she knew the singer had a crush on her before she pursued a romance with the heartthrob
- She said of their brief fling in The Sun on Sunday: ‘I already knew that he had a crush on me, he’s made it pretty obvious as he’s said it in magazines. I’ve never felt I was much older than Harry. I still feel 18 and I probably act that way half the time’
Short-lived: The Love Island host caught music manager Jack Street’s eye when he was only 26 years old
Wedding bells: Caroline and Andrew Brady got engaged in April 2018 before calling it quits later that year
Jack Street, aged 31
- The Love Island host caught Jack’s eye when he was only 26 years old
- Caroline and Jack’s love story goes back until 2014 and the couple dated happily for 18 months before their abrupt split.
- They briefly rekindled the flames of their love in 2015 but the damage couldn’t be repaired and they went their separate ways for good
Andrew Brady, aged 28
Smooch: In January, Caroline and Strictly dancer AJ Pritchard were pictured looking extremely cosy with during the National Television Awards’ after-party
- Caroline was 38 while Andrew was 27 when they first started dating
- The Love Island personality and the Apprentice star had a rocky on/off romance which had a heartbreaking end for the pair of them
- The couple got engaged in April 2018 after just a few weeks of dating but they separated from each other a numerous times last year
- Now Andrew has jetted off to Australia on a one-way ticket to get a fresh start in 2019 after they finally called it quits on their romance forever
- Caroline got rid of the final traces of her ex as she proudly showed off she had his initials ‘AB’ erased from her wrist
AJ Pritchard, aged 24
- In January, Caroline and the Strictly dancer were pictured looking extremely cosy with during the National Television Awards’ after-party
- Insiders at the bash claimed the duo moved around for some privacy before they were spotted in the alleged clinch behind the scenes
- The pair, who reportedly snogged during the star-studded bash at London’s O2 Arena, denied rumours of a romance despite their close display
Hunk: The presenter is said to have dated Danny Cipriani for around eight weeks earlier this year
Danny Cipriani, aged 31
- The presenter is said to have dated the sportsman, 31, for around eight weeks earlier this year
- They were were seen kissing after a two-night hotel stay back in April, but ended things shortly after as sources say Caroline feared there was no long-term future
- An insider previously said: ‘Caroline and Danny had a lot of fun together and she’s very fond of him – but long-term it wasn’t going to work’
- ‘They’ve decided to end it and stay friends. Caroline has a busy summer ahead of her and is already moving on by dating other people
Caroline became engaged to former Apprentice and Celebrity Big Brother star Andrew Brady in April 2018, but the pair split a few months later.
Most recently she had been in a relationship with former tennis player Lewis Burton.
But in December last year, Caroline denied assaulting him in an incident that left them both covered in blood in scenes likened to a ‘horror movie’.
The alleged incident saw Flack step down as host of the winter series of Love Island, after it was alleged she hit Burton, 27, over the head with a lamp, causing a head injury.
But former professional tennis player and model Lewis said he did not support the prosecution and insisted he was not a victim, Highbury Corner Magistrates’ Court was told.
He spoke out in defence of Flack, saying she has become the subject of a ‘witch hunt’ following her arrest.
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