Laura Whitmore has revealed that she initially “ignored” Caroline Flack’s death as she thought it was fake news.
The 34-year-old presenter also said she wished she had not heard on Twitter about the death of her friend, who took her own life at her east London flat last month.
Flack, 40, stepped down from presenting the winter series of ITV2 show Love Island in December following an alleged assault on her boyfriend, tennis player Lewis Burton. She was awaiting trial when she died on February 15.
Friends and family were today paying a final farewell at a private funeral.
Whitmore, who replaced Flack as Love Island host, spoke tearfully about her friend’s death on Kate Thornton’s White Wine Question Time podcast.
She said: “I found out about Caroline on the Saturday and I found out in a way I wish I didn’t. It was something on Twitter that someone had tweeted initially that I disregarded because there’s always so much stuff. There are so many things that would be said about Caroline that you wouldn’t take everything as truth, so I kind of ignored it.”
Caroline Flack – In pictures
1/42 2019
Caroline Flack as host of Love Island
ITV
2/42 2014
Caroline Flack in Strictly Come Dancing
PA
3/42 2015
Caroline Flack briefly hosting The X Factor
Thames/Syco production for ITV
4/42 2019
Caroline Flack attending the Brit Awards at the O2 Arena, London.
PA
5/42 2019
Caroline Flack and Lewis Burton leaving Bagatelle restaurant after celebrating her 40th Birthday
SplashNews.com
6/42
Caroline Flack attends the Brits Awards 2018 After Party hosted by Warner Music Group, Ciroc and British GQ at Freemasons Hall on February 21, 2018 in London,England.
Dave Benett
7/42 2018
Caroline Flack attending the Brit Awards at the O2 Arena, London.
PA
8/42 2018
Roxie Nafousi and Caroline Flack attend the launch of The Tanqueray No.10 Table at Dalloway Terrace hosted by Gizzi Erskine
Dave Benett
9/42 2018
Caroline Flack attending the National Television Awards held at the O2 Arena, London.
PA
10/42 2017
Caroline Flack attends an intimate dinner hosted by Henry Holland and Andrew Nugent to celebrate the House of Holland Resort 18 collection and Bird In Hand wine collaboration at Carousel London
Dave Benett
11/42 2017
Caroline Flack attending the Fashion Awards held at the Royal Albert Hall, London.
PA
12/42 2017
Caroline Flack arriving at the ITV Gala held at the London Palladium
Getty Images
13/42 2017
Caroline Flack attending the Glamour Women of the Year Awards
PA
14/42 2017
Holly Willoughby and Caroline Flack attend The Warner Music and Ciroc Brit Awards After Party
Dave Benett
15/42 2017
Caroline Flack attends the InStyle EE Rising Star Party ahead of the EE BAFTA Awards at The Ivy Soho Brasserie
Dave Benett
16/42 2017
Caroline Flack attends the National Television Awards cocktail reception at The O2 Arena
Dave Benett
17/42 2017
Scarlett Moffatt and Caroline Flack attend the National Television Awards
Getty Images
18/42 2016
Caroline Flack and Jamie Cullum attend the launch of Help Refugees’ ‘Choose Love’ winter appeal with Jamie Cullum and friends at The Jazz Cafe
Dave Benett
19/42 2016
Caroline Flack host of Love Island
ITV
20/42 2016
Caroline Flack attends the House Of Fraser British Academy Television Awards 2016 at the Royal Festival Hall
Getty Images
21/42 2016
Caroline Flack and Angela Scanlon attend the 21st National Television Awards at The O2 Arena
Dave Benett
22/42 2015
Caroline Flack attends the Cosmopolitan Ultimate Women Of The Year awards at One Mayfair
Dave Benett
23/42 2015
Caroline Flack attending the ITV Gala at the London Palladium.
PA
24/42 2015
Caroline Flack arriving for The Pride of Britain Awards at Grosvenor House, Park Lane, London.
PA
25/42 2015
Caroline Flack at The X Factor Auditrions in Manchester with Olly Murs
Daily Mail
26/42 2015
Caroline Flack attending the X Factor auditions held at Wembley Arena
PA
27/42 2015
Caroline Flack hosting X Factor with Olly Murs
ITV
28/42 2015
Caroline Flack arriving for the Brit Awards at the O2 Arena, London
PA
29/42 2015
Caroline Flack on the catwalk during the Fashion for Relief a charity fashion show
PA
30/42 2014
Pasha Kovalev and Caroline Flack in Strictly Come Dancing
BBC
31/42 2014
Pasha Kovalev and Caroline Flack in Strictly Come Dancing
BBC
32/42 2014
Pasha Kovalev and Caroline Flack in Strictly Come Dancing
BBC
33/42 2014
Pasha Kovalev and Caroline Flack in Strictly Come Dancing
BBC
34/42 2014
Pasha Kovalev and Caroline Flack in Strictly Come Dancing
BBC
35/42 2014
Caroline Flack in Strictly Come Dancing
BBC
36/42 2014
Laura Whitmore and Caroline Flack attend the Glamour Women of the Year Awards in Berkeley Square Gardens
Dave Benett
37/42 2014
The press night performance of “I Can’t Sing! The X Factor Musical” at the London Palladium
Dave Benett
38/42 2014
Oxfam’s Lift Lives for Good campaign
Rankin/PA
39/42 2014
The Brit Awards
Dave Benett
40/42 2013
Caroline Flack attends the Cosmopolitan Ultimate Women of the Year Awards at Victoria & Albert Museum
Getty Images
41/42 2013
The launch of The Vinyl Collection curated by Annie Mac and the AMP 2013 album at W London – Leicester Square
Dave Benett
42/42 2013
Party in Wyld at W London Leicester Square after the NME Awards
Dave Benett
1/42 2019
Caroline Flack as host of Love Island
ITV
2/42 2014
Caroline Flack in Strictly Come Dancing
PA
3/42 2015
Caroline Flack briefly hosting The X Factor
Thames/Syco production for ITV
4/42 2019
Caroline Flack attending the Brit Awards at the O2 Arena, London.
PA
5/42 2019
Caroline Flack and Lewis Burton leaving Bagatelle restaurant after celebrating her 40th Birthday
SplashNews.com
6/42
Caroline Flack attends the Brits Awards 2018 After Party hosted by Warner Music Group, Ciroc and British GQ at Freemasons Hall on February 21, 2018 in London,England.
Dave Benett
7/42 2018
Caroline Flack attending the Brit Awards at the O2 Arena, London.
PA
8/42 2018
Roxie Nafousi and Caroline Flack attend the launch of The Tanqueray No.10 Table at Dalloway Terrace hosted by Gizzi Erskine
Dave Benett
9/42 2018
Caroline Flack attending the National Television Awards held at the O2 Arena, London.
PA
10/42 2017
Caroline Flack attends an intimate dinner hosted by Henry Holland and Andrew Nugent to celebrate the House of Holland Resort 18 collection and Bird In Hand wine collaboration at Carousel London
Dave Benett
11/42 2017
Caroline Flack attending the Fashion Awards held at the Royal Albert Hall, London.
PA
12/42 2017
Caroline Flack arriving at the ITV Gala held at the London Palladium
Getty Images
13/42 2017
Caroline Flack attending the Glamour Women of the Year Awards
PA
14/42 2017
Holly Willoughby and Caroline Flack attend The Warner Music and Ciroc Brit Awards After Party
Dave Benett
15/42 2017
Caroline Flack attends the InStyle EE Rising Star Party ahead of the EE BAFTA Awards at The Ivy Soho Brasserie
Dave Benett
16/42 2017
Caroline Flack attends the National Television Awards cocktail reception at The O2 Arena
Dave Benett
17/42 2017
Scarlett Moffatt and Caroline Flack attend the National Television Awards
Getty Images
18/42 2016
Caroline Flack and Jamie Cullum attend the launch of Help Refugees’ ‘Choose Love’ winter appeal with Jamie Cullum and friends at The Jazz Cafe
Dave Benett
19/42 2016
Caroline Flack host of Love Island
ITV
20/42 2016
Caroline Flack attends the House Of Fraser British Academy Television Awards 2016 at the Royal Festival Hall
Getty Images
21/42 2016
Caroline Flack and Angela Scanlon attend the 21st National Television Awards at The O2 Arena
Dave Benett
22/42 2015
Caroline Flack attends the Cosmopolitan Ultimate Women Of The Year awards at One Mayfair
Dave Benett
23/42 2015
Caroline Flack attending the ITV Gala at the London Palladium.
PA
24/42 2015
Caroline Flack arriving for The Pride of Britain Awards at Grosvenor House, Park Lane, London.
PA
25/42 2015
Caroline Flack at The X Factor Auditrions in Manchester with Olly Murs
Daily Mail
26/42 2015
Caroline Flack attending the X Factor auditions held at Wembley Arena
PA
27/42 2015
Caroline Flack hosting X Factor with Olly Murs
ITV
28/42 2015
Caroline Flack arriving for the Brit Awards at the O2 Arena, London
PA
29/42 2015
Caroline Flack on the catwalk during the Fashion for Relief a charity fashion show
PA
30/42 2014
Pasha Kovalev and Caroline Flack in Strictly Come Dancing
BBC
31/42 2014
Pasha Kovalev and Caroline Flack in Strictly Come Dancing
BBC
32/42 2014
Pasha Kovalev and Caroline Flack in Strictly Come Dancing
BBC
33/42 2014
Pasha Kovalev and Caroline Flack in Strictly Come Dancing
BBC
34/42 2014
Pasha Kovalev and Caroline Flack in Strictly Come Dancing
BBC
35/42 2014
Caroline Flack in Strictly Come Dancing
BBC
36/42 2014
Laura Whitmore and Caroline Flack attend the Glamour Women of the Year Awards in Berkeley Square Gardens
Dave Benett
37/42 2014
The press night performance of “I Can’t Sing! The X Factor Musical” at the London Palladium
Dave Benett
38/42 2014
Oxfam’s Lift Lives for Good campaign
Rankin/PA
39/42 2014
The Brit Awards
Dave Benett
40/42 2013
Caroline Flack attends the Cosmopolitan Ultimate Women of the Year Awards at Victoria & Albert Museum
Getty Images
41/42 2013
The launch of The Vinyl Collection curated by Annie Mac and the AMP 2013 album at W London – Leicester Square
Dave Benett
42/42 2013
Party in Wyld at W London Leicester Square after the NME Awards
Dave Benett
Whitmore said a friend later called and told her to come home. “Then I did that thing, which I wish I didn’t. I went on Twitter and you see … different people posting things… We live in a world where we find out our news on social media and we don’t know what is right and what is wrong — there is fake news.”
After she went home her friend confirmed that it was true. Whitmore said her first thought had been for her boyfriend, Love Island narrator Iain Stirling, who was having a day off work in South Africa.
“I just wanted him to get to a safe space, if that makes sense?” she said.
Anyone feeling emotionally distressed or suicidal can call Samaritans for help on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org
