Phillip Schofield became emotional as he and Holly Willoughby opened Sunday night’s instalment of Dancing On Ice with a tribute to Caroline Flack.
The former Love Island presenter was found dead at the age of 40 at her home in east London on Saturday, after taking her own life.
Schofield opened the ITV show by saying: “We’d like to begin tonight’s show by taking a moment to remember Caroline Flack in light of yesterday’s awful news.
“We wanted to say that our hearts go out to her family and friends.”
He looked tearful as his co-host Willoughby added: “Many of us here on the show knew Caroline as a friend and we will all miss her enormously.
“As Caroline herself recently posted, in a world where you can be anything, be kind.”
There was another tribute to Flack later in the programme, when contestant Joe Swash took to the ice.
The actor, who became friends with the star when they presented I’m A Celebrity spin-off Extra Camp together, sent love to her family as he said it had been a very tough day.
Willoughby previously posted a tribute to Flack on social media, describing her loss as “utterly heartbreaking.”
“Life is so precious and yet so fragile,” she wrote alongside a black and white photo of her and Flack, adding: “Huge love to Caroline’s family.”
Former Love Island star and Dancing On Ice contestant Maura Higgins, who left the show last night, also shared her condolences, writing “Heartbreaking news. RIP” on Twitter alongside a message which read: “In a world where you can be anything, be kind.”
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With additional reporting by Press Association.
