Nicola McLean revealed that Caroline Flack told her she was ‘really sad’ and sent worrying messages to her ‘close friends’ the night before her death.
The former glamour model, 38, appeared on Dan Wootton’s talkRadio Drive Time show on Monday, to talk about the former Love Island presenter, who took her own life on Saturday aged 40.
She then claimed that Caroline admitted she planned to plead guilty in her forthcoming court case after being charged with assault following a row with her boyfriend Lewis Burton – despite believing herself to be innocent.
Worrying: Nicola McLean, 38, revealed that Caroline Flack sent worrying messages to her ‘close friends’ the night before her death
Nicola explained how Caroline had been posting on her Instagram Stories to a select number of people, and one post indicated that ‘she wasn’t in a great way,’ leading to private messages between the pair in which the TV host admitted she was ‘sad’.
In her heartbreaking chat, the I’m A Celebrity star said: ‘She’d made her Instagram to just her close friends, so there were not very many people on there, and she posted something where I could tell she wasn’t in a great way.
‘She’d been doing a lot better so I’d felt like she’d done really, really well. She went LA and she’d done really well, and was seemingly a lot more positive.
‘And that post I knew… so I messaged her, as anyone else would do and she was sad. She was really sad and she told me, she said ‘I’m sad.’…
Shocking: She claimed that Caroline admitted she planned to plead guilty in her forthcoming court case after being charged with assault following a row with her boyfriend Lewis Burton
‘She was just sad. She really was. She just wanted to be with Lewis. She wanted the charges dropped. She felt like it was unfair.’
On the forthcoming trial, Nicola continued: ‘She would say, ‘I’ll plead guilty so this all goes away’, but she did not want to plead guilty because she did not think she was, and neither do I.’
Caroline took her own life on Saturday, after a worried friend who was staying with her went to the shops, leaving the ex-Love Island presenter alone at her London flat.
Last photo: Caroline is pictured on Valentine’s Day, hours before the presenter’s body was found at her London home
A cry for help? Nicola explained how Caroline had been posting on her Instagram Stories to a select number of people, and one particular post indicated that ‘she wasn’t in a great way’
It came just hours after she was told she would face trial for allegedly assaulting her boyfriend 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.
He had said she hit him with a lamp at her former home in Islington in December before asking the CPS not to press charges.
Reaching out: ‘I messaged her, as anyone else would do and she was sad. She was really sad and she told me, she said ‘I’m sad.’ She was just sad. She really was’ explained Nicola
Tragedy: Caroline was found dead inside her London home by her father Ian on Saturday after taking her own life while the friend who was staying with her ‘popped out to the shops’
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.’
Gone too soon: Caroline killed herself at her new flat in Islington, north London hours after finding out she would face trial over the alleged assault of boyfriend Lewis Burton last year (pictured in February 2019)
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.
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.’
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.
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.’
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.
CAROLINE FLACK: A CALL FOR HELP?
Caroline Flack spoke often about her struggles, both in interviews and on social media.
Caroline said, following her Strictly success: ‘Fame doesn’t make you happy’
STRICTLY CURSE?
The Strictly Come Dancing 2014 winner has said that she felt depressed following her victory on the BBC show.
After she won the series along with professional partner Pasha Kovalev, she admitted that she felt like she was ‘being held together by a piece of string which could snap at any time’.
In an unearthed interview cited by the Daily Star following her death, Caroline claimed that, ‘It all started the day after I won Strictly. I woke up and felt like somebody had covered my body in clingfilm. I couldn’t get up and just couldn’t pick myself up at all that next year.’
She went on: ‘People see the celebrity lifestyle and assume everything is perfect, but we’re just like everyone else. Everyone is battling something emotional behind closed doors – that’s life.
Ignored? ‘When I actually reached out to someone they said I was draining,’ Caroline admitted in October 2019
‘Fame doesn’t make you happy.’
‘BEING A BURDEN IS MY BIGGEST FEAR’
In an Instagram post she uploaded on 14 October 2019 – to mark World Mental Health Day – Caroline captioned a photo of herself: ‘Some days it’s hard to write your feelings of your not in the right place.
‘The last few weeks I’ve been in a really weird place… I find it hard to talk about it… I guess it’s anxiety and pressure of life… and when I actually reached out to someone they said I was draining.
‘I feel like this is why some people keep their emotions to themselves. I certainly hate talking about my feelings. And being a burden is my biggest fear…
‘I’m lucky to be able to pick myself up when things feel s**t. But what happens if someone can’t. Be nice to people. You never know what’s going on. Ever.’ [sic]
SOCIAL SILENCE
Signs of suicide? She liked tweets about calling The Samaritans over Christmas
Caroline was told to stay off social media following her assault charge in December 2019.
However, she notably liked a string of tweets in the days afterwards, before Christmas, encouraging those feeling lonely over the holidays to seek help.
The tweets – posted by the likes of actress Sheridan Smith, journalist Stacey Dooley and comedian Luke Kempner – included the telephone number for The Samaritans’ suicide hotline.
She also posted to Instagram around the same time: ‘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.’
SELF-HELP?
It was reported that Caroline had decided to write a book, during her recent time off.
‘Caroline has found the process incredibly cathartic,’ one of her friends told the Mail. ‘She wants it to be more than just a story about her. She wants to talk about the problems she’s encountered and how she’s overcome them.
‘She hopes to be able to help others who may be going through similar difficulties. Part self-help, part memoir is the style that Caroline is looking for.’