Entertainment

Love Island's Iain Stirling pays tribute to 'true friend' Caroline Flack on ITV show


Love Island narrator Iain Stirling remembered Caroline Flack’s “passion, warmth and infectious enthusiasm” as the show paid tribute to her on Monday.

The ITV2 dating show did not air on Saturday or Sunday after former presenter Flack was found dead at her home in east London, having taken her own life.

It returned on Monday with a tribute to the TV star, who started hosting the programme in 2015.

As footage of the sea and the sound of waves played, Stirling said: “We are all absolutely devastated by the tragic news that Caroline, a much loved member of our Love Island family, has passed away.

“Our thoughts are with her family and friends at this dreadful time.

“Caroline and me were together from the very start of Love Island and her passion, warmth and infectious enthusiasm were a crucial part of what made this show connect with millions of viewers.”

Love Island narrator Iain Stirling with the show’s former presenter Caroline Flack who died over the weekend

He continued: “Like many of you right now we are all just trying to come to terms with what has happened.

“My only hope is that we can all try to be kinder, always show love and listen to one another.

“Caroline I want to thank you for all the fun times we had making our favourite show.

“You were a true friend to me. I’m going to miss you Caz.”

A picture of the presenter then appeared, with the words “Caroline Louise Flack 1979 – 2020”.

Earlier, ITV said the door was open for Flack to return to Love Island and that its production team “continued to offer her support” in the months before her death.

Director of television Kevin Lygo also confirmed companion show Love Island: Aftersun would not air on Monday while the Morning After podcast would also not take place on Tuesday.

He said: “Everyone at ITV is absolutely devastated and still trying to process this tragic news. Caroline was part of Love Island from the very beginning and her passion, dedication and boundless energy contributed to the show’s success.

“After Caroline stepped down from the show ITV made it clear that the door was left open for her to return and the Love Island production team remained in regular contact with her and continued to offer support over the last few months.”

Iain Stirling paid tribute to Caroline Flack

He added: “Caroline loved Love Island and was very vocal in her support of the show. Viewers could relate to her and she to them and that was a big part of the programme’s success. We will all miss her very much.”

It came after Love Island presenter Laura Whitmore posted a message on Twitter about Monday’s spin-off programme, saying: “There won’t be an Aftersun show tonight, big love to a brilliant and hard working team.

“@LoveIsland is on at 9pm… please show the islanders some love.”

Flack stepped down from presenting the current winter series of the ITV2 dating show after an alleged assault.

The TV star pleaded not guilty to assaulting boyfriend Lewis Burton at a flat in north London during a court hearing in December.

On Friday, ambulance crews were called to a property in Clapton, north-east London, where Flack was thought to have recently moved – but a London Ambulance Service (LAS) spokesman refused to confirm or deny reports that paramedics attended her flat.

An LAS statement said: “We were called shortly after 10.30pm on 14 February to a residential property on Northwold Road, N16.

“Crews attended and, following a clinical assessment, the person was not taken to hospital. Due to patient confidentiality we cannot comment further.”

LAS also said crews were called to Northwold Road at 2.30pm on Saturday, adding that “a person was pronounced dead at the scene”, but wouldn’t comment on whether the two incidents were linked.

Caroline Flack was found dead on February 15 in her London home

The shock news prompted a flood of tributes from celebrities, but it also brought questions about the decision to persist with prosecuting Flack for the alleged assault, and about the pressures faced by TV celebrities from the press and social media.

Her management company criticised the Crown Prosecution Service for pressing ahead with what it called a “show trial” even after her boyfriend said he did not support it.

By Monday evening, an online petition calling for a Government inquiry into “the practices and policies of mainstream media organisations and social media platforms in their efforts to protect members of the public from harm” had more than 500,000 signatures.

The tragedy has put the spotlight back on the pressures that come with TV celebrity.

Flack is the fourth person linked to Love Island to have killed themselves.

Sophie Gradon, a 2016 contestant, was found dead in 2018 at the age of 32. Her boyfriend Aaron Armstrong, who found her body, killed himself three weeks later. He was 25.

Mike Thalassitis, who appeared in the 2017 series, was 26 when he was found dead in a park in March last year.

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Speaking ahead of the Love Island tribute, shadow culture secretary Tracy Brabin said: “Caroline Flack was relentlessly trolled online, but this trolling was amplified and legitimised by the mainstream press and they should not be allowed to dodge their share of the blame.

“We urgently need new laws to curb abuse and ensure vulnerable people are safe online – and we need to hold the second stage of the Leveson Inquiry to protect victims of press abuse and intrusion.

“The current system simply isn’t working. This tragic death should be a wake-up call for a Government that has failed victims by refusing to act.”





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