KERRY Katona has said she thinks Caroline Flack’s smile used to “disguise so much pain”.
The 39-year-old forged an unlikely friendship with the television presenter, who reached out to her for help in December, and has now remembered her in a moving letter.
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Caroline messaged Kerry after struggling with online bullying after stepping down from Love Island over allegedly assaulting her boyfriend Lewis Burton.
Writing for new magazine, Kerry explained their relationship and the regret she has about not following up their concerning conversations.
Discussing the messages she received, in which Caroline said the trolling made her “sink so deep”, she wrote: “I knew it must have been serious for her to reach out to me because we were in a different league showbiz wise.
“She’s up there, I’m down here. I may be a household name , but I am nowhere near the calibre of star was. So now I ask myself, why didn’t I push more? Why did I follow up the conversation after those initial few messages ? Why was I so scared of looking like a cling-on that I didn’t ask her to meet up so we could talk some more.”
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YOU’RE NOT ALONE
EVERY 90 minutes in the UK a life is lost to suicide.
It doesn’t discriminate, touching the lives of people in every corner of society – from the homeless and unemployed to builders and doctors, reality stars and footballers.
It’s the biggest killer of people under the age of 35, more deadly than cancer and car crashes.
And men are three times more likely to take their own life than women.
Yet it’s rarely spoken of, a taboo that threatens to continue its deadly rampage unless we all stop and take notice, now.
That is why The Sun launched the You’re Not Alone campaign.
The aim is that by sharing practical advice, raising awareness and breaking down the barriers people face when talking about their mental health, we can all do our bit to help save lives.
Let’s all vow to ask for help when we need it, and listen out for others.
You’re Not Alone.
If you, or anyone you know, needs help dealing with mental health problems, the following organisations provide support:
Kerry continued: “I was always very fond of Caroline. By no means am I pretending to be one of her best friend, but we were in the industry at the same time and I’d see her around on the circuit. She’d always come over at events and say hi and was always so bubbly and lovely.
“So much so that you would never have looked at her and thought she had mental health problems, which goes to show a smile can disguise so much pain.”
She went on to say that despite trying to “reassure her how strong she was”, she was “unable to save her”.
Caroline, 40, was found dead at her home after prosecutors said her trial for allegedly assaulting her boyfriend would go ahead.
- If you are affected by any of the issues raised in this article, please call the Samaritans for free on 16123
