A new documentary exploring the final days of tragic TV presenter Caroline Flack includes previously unseen footage of her breaking down as she described the abuse she endured after being arrested over an alleged assault on her boyfriend and losing her job.
The former host of Love Island, who took her own life at the age of 40 in February 2020, is the subject of Caroline Flack: Search For The Truth, a two-par Disney+ series where her mother, Christine Flack, investigates the assault charge the star faced and the resulting media storm.
Flack, who won Strictly Come Dancing in 2014 and was also known for presenting on The X Factor and I'm A Celebrity ... Get Me Out Of Here! Now!, was arrested in December 2019.
She received a caution following an incident with her boyfriend, but this was overturned after an appeal from the Metropolitan Police and she was instead charged with assault by beating.
In August 2020, a coroner ruled Flack took her own life after learning prosecutors were going to press ahead with the assault charge in relation to an incident where she hit Lewis Burton with her phone while he slept, because of concerns he had been cheating on her.
In the documentary, her mother delves into material from her phones, with voice notes and texts from Flack shedding light on the star's inner turmoil.
In a video recorded on her phone three days after her arrest, an emotional Flack — seen with smudged eye make-up and dishevelled hair — says: “I’m doing this because I want to remember what I went through, what my family went through, what my boyfriend went through, what his family went through.”
"It's three days after I've been arrested for having a fight with my boyfriend. I've always co-operated with the police since they arrived. I was put in a cell.
"I was promised that I was anonymous and this wouldn't be going further, and it was a really private situation.
"Five minutes after I left the station, they've gone to the press, all the details, everything.
"Since then, I lost my job, the job I've worked all my life on. I'm living in a hotel. I'm receiving so much abuse."
“It was a fight,” she tells the camera tearfully, wiping her eyes. “I’ve never hurt anyone in my life — the only person I ever hurt is myself,” she adds, her voice cracking.
Other texts pop on screen to show the correspondence she was having with friends and family, including a message that said: "I’ve lost it all. And so publicly. Am lowest I’ve ever been in my life.”
Another text read: “I'm having a big panic attack. I think I'm going to prison."
While she added in a third: "I literally cannot be papped it's ruining my life."
Giving an insight into Flack's response following her arrest, her friend Mollie Grosberg said: "The minute that he (Burton) called the police, she just thought, 'I am done. My career is over. My boyfriend's gone. I might as well be dead'."
Also in the documentary, Ms Flack reveals her daughter had always suffered from mental health problems and says that one doctor told her she had bipolar disorder.
"At the time, they used to call it manic depression. She didn't want to be told that. She didn't want a label.
"She hated having this mental health problem, and it was always hushed up. If anyone mentioned it, it was the worst thing you could do," she said.
Flack's former agent Louisa Booth claimed a psychiatric report to the Crown Prosecution Service saying she was not mentally fit enough to go through with the court case was dismissed.
"We had professional analysis and that was ignored. We were so taken aback, actually, that they dismissed the report from the psychiatrist," Ms Booth said.
A Met spokesperson said: "Caroline Flack's tragic death had a profound impact on many, not least her family and friends who continue to come to terms with their loss.
"The Commissioner has previously written to Caroline's mother to offer his condolences on behalf of the Met. We recognise how terribly difficult the past five years must have been.
"It is entirely understandable that those closest to Caroline have questions about the events leading up to her death, including the police investigation.
"We have engaged openly with those questions through independent reviews and an inquest, which subjected our actions to significant scrutiny.
"These processes did not identify misconduct for any officer, including in relation to the decision to appeal the CPS outcome. Operational decisions were made in accordance with the legal framework and guidance in place at the time.
"The Metropolitan Police Service fully supports the officers involved in the decisions made.
"Organisational learning was identified, around record-keeping and documentation of decision-making.
"These have since been addressed through policy reinforcement and training.
"The Independent Office for Police Conduct asked the Met to apologise to Caroline's family for the absence of a recorded rationale in the CPS appeal process. We have done so and acknowledged the impact this has had on them.
"We remain committed to learning and improving, and our thoughts and sympathies continue to be with Caroline's family and friends."
• Caroline Flack: Search For The Truth is streaming now on Disney+
• If you are affected by any of the issues raised in this article, please contact the Samaritans on 116123 (free) or email jo@samaritans.org.
