Caroline Flack once spoke about how she felt it was “her job” to befriend and look out for Love Islanders after they were dumped from the ITV2 show.
Love Island host Caroline was found dead on Saturday at the age of 40.
A lawyer for the Flack family confirmed that Caroline took her own life and was found in her east London flat.
While Caroline wanted to keep an eye on the Love Island stars as they leave the villa as celebrities, devastated fans of the TV presenter have asked who was looking out for her.
Caroline had decided to take a step back from presenting Love Island following her arrest for an alleged assault on her boyfriend Lewis Burton, quickly falling into depression in the weeks afterwards.
(Image: WireImage)
Love Island will feature a tribute to Caroline when it returns to our screens tomorrow night after a two-night break.
ITV bosses have faced mounting criticism for the aftercare that the Islanders receive following their time on the show, with Sophie Gradon and Mike Thalassitis tragically taking their own lives in the past couple of years.
Speaking to the Daily Star ahead of last summer’s Love Island, Caroline had revealed how she went about making sure that dumped Islanders were made to feel at ease before she interviewed them on spin-off show, Love Island: Aftersun.
She also said that she would check in on them in the following weeks to see how they were coping with their new-found fame, befriending many of them in the process.
Caroline would speak to them about how to deal with online trolls, which is an unfortunate experience that the late TV presenter suffered from herself.
(Image: ITV)
Speaking last year, Caroline said: “I have never been the kind of presenter to make someone feel awkward and actually I make it my duty to make them feel as comfortable as possible.
“I am always mindful of this when I ask them questions. That’s my job to have a duty of care. I take that really seriously.
“I go and meet them before they come on the show and I would never have an islander just walk on without me going into their dressing room first and telling them exactly what I am going to ask them.
“I might ask you this or that but it means I am on your side.”
(Image: PA)
Caroline said that this helped the Islander feel happier before appearing on live TV.
She continued: “It makes them feel more comfortable so they don’t get nervous and they come on and we are already friends. It works a treat.
“We are not there to make anyone look stupid. It’s having trust with them too. Then they want to talk to you.
“I want them to think I am trustworthy.”
Caroline became close friends with Mike Thalassitis, who was looking for love in the the 2017 series.
He tragically took his own life last year and speaking about his death, Caroline said: “When I heard about it I was obviously shocked to start with and then incredibly sad because I had a friendship with Mike.”
Following Caroline’s death, there was anger on social media as fans questioned what help she was getting from ITV bosses.
One commenter summed up their frustrations, tweeting: “Love Island prides itself on ‘aftercare’ for islanders leaving the villa, but where was this when Caroline needed it?”
Caroline was due to stand trial on March 4 after pleading not guilty to assault by beating following an early-morning altercation with her boyfriend Lewis Burton.
Her death reportedly came just hours after she found out that the CPS would go ahead with the trial.
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