Caroline Flack mused over her life in an insightful interview with her friend Natalie Pinkham just two years before her tragic suicide over the weekend.
Speaking candidly on the sports presenter’s In The Pink Podcast in 2018, the Love Island host threw her support behind the ITV2 show, discussed advice she would give her younger self and admitted she has no regrets.
The TV host, 40, tragically took her own life on Saturday, just hours after she was told she would face trial for allegedly assaulting her boyfriend Lewis Burton.
The days: Caroline Flack mused over her life in an insightful interview with her friend Natalie Pinkham just two years before her tragic suicide over the weekend
Caroline has caused shockwaves among fans and peers since it was confirmed over the weekend that she had died at her Stoke Newington home, when a friend staying with her headed to the shops and could not gain entry back to the house.
After calling on the star’s father to help, her body was discovered and since the trauma, tributes has flooded in for the star.
Her beloved show Love Island has come under fire, as critics called for the programme to be removed from air yet defenders have insisted Caroline would want the show to go ahead – something she echoed in her 2018 interview.
She said: ‘A real shot in the arm. I’m nothing to do with the success of the show but I’m part of it. Relationships are something everyone can associate with. The show is a really simple format for something really complex…
Pals: Speaking candidly on the sports presenter’s In The Pink Podcast in 2018, the Love Island host threw her support behind the ITV2 show, discussed advice she would give her younger self and admitted she has no regrets (Natalie and Caroline pictured together)
‘In general we’re really nosy as people. When I was younger, even village gossip was big then. The world is one big Love Island…
‘Relationships are always going to be different, the people are always gonna be different. It’s all escapism. People falling in love in real time and you see it and feel it. And people get heartbroken and you feel it’.
As the start of the show – which launched in 2015 – ran alongside her stint on The X Factor, she was forced to beg her agent to manoeuvre the job.
Tragic: The TV host, 40, tragically took her own life on Saturday, just hours after she was told she would face trial for allegedly assaulting her boyfriend Lewis Burton (pictured)
She said: ‘I remember watching the first show and saying this is gonna be huge and the first show wasn’t but it was a gradual burner. My agent said there’s no way I can do it because of X Factor and I said I really want to do it…
‘He said no because of dates. I begged and begged and begged for the job and eventually Simon Cowell gave me some time off X Factor. It was really kind of Simon because it was a real nice show.’
When Natalie asked what she would tell her younger self, she said: ‘Stop catastrophising. I’ve always catastrophised, but then that makes me who I am and I’m quite careful in that sense…
‘Don’t let other people define you because other people there probably not thinking about you they’re thinking about themselves. Look after your friends, look after your family, don’t lose touch with your parents…
That was then: She said: ‘I remember watching the first show and saying this is gonna be huge and the first show wasn’t but it was a gradual burner. My agent said there’s no way I can do it because of X Factor and I said I really want to do it’ (pictured on X Factor in 2012)
‘As you get older you realise how important your family are. I know what I was like – I just want to leave home. And don’t mix your drinks on a night out.’
On having regrets, she candidly said: ‘I regret my fringe. they take a long time to grow out. I’ve learnt from everything. Everything you’ve done when you go whoops you learn from it. Unless you hurt people.’
Caroline admitted she worries for other people: ‘I worry more about other people. I’m big enough and ugly enough to look after myself. I’m fiercely independent annoyingly to some people. What if?’
Caroline’s death came just hours after she was told she would face trial for allegedly assaulting Lewis , something she denied.
Her management have slammed the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) for pursuing the ‘show trial’ after Lewis said he did not want to press charges.
Warnings: When Natalie asked what she would tell her younger self, she said: ‘Stop catastrophising. I’ve always catastrophised, but then that makes me who i am and I’m quite careful in that sense’ (pictured in 2016)
Caroline had been described by friends as feeling ‘she was on her own’ and ‘couldn’t see a way out,’ according to The Mirror.
It was also understood she had been struggling with her mental health and using anti-depressants before her death.
The TV presenter’s death was confirmed by a lawyer for the family. The Flack family said in a statement: ‘We can confirm that our Caroline passed away today on the 15th February. We would ask that the press respect the privacy of the family at this difficult time.’
A worried producer friend had been staying with the star but found she couldn’t get back into her flat after returning from the shops, a source said. She called Caroline’s father Ian who gained entry to the flat where he found the star’s body.
Concerns: Caroline admitted she worries for other people: ‘I worry more about other people. I’m big enough and ugly enough to look after myself. I’m fiercely interdependent annoyingly to some people. What if?’ (pictured in 2008)
Love Island also released a statement, they said: ‘Everybody at Love Island and ITV is shocked and saddened by this desperately sad news.
‘Caroline was a much loved member of the Love Island team and our sincere thoughts and condolences are with her family and friends.’
Former contestants Mike Thalassitis and Sophie Gradon, took their own lives in March 2019 and June 2018.
Among fans calling the show out was This Morning presenter Eamonn Holmes who paid tribute to Caroline while insisting there needs to be ‘repercussions.’
Shocker: Following Caroline’s death, many fans have taken to social media to demand that Love Island be axed, after she became the third person associated with the show to take their own life
He wrote on Twitter: ‘Caroline Flack …. Dear God. Shocked beyond belief. May she have found peace. #Rip Has to be repercussions for Love Island now surely?’ which garnered more than 27K likes.
Eamonn later added: ‘Meaning out of respect, can the series continue?’ (sic)
A CPS spokesperson issued a statement, they said: ‘Our deepest sympathies go to the family and friends of Caroline Flack. Given the tragic circumstances, we will not comment on the specifics of this case at this stage.’
If you have been affected by this story, you can call the Samaritans on 116 123 or visit www.samaritans.org