Russell Brand has released an emotional statement about the death of Caroline Flack.
The comedian, 44, said he was “angry and sad” that Caroline had been suffering so much that she took her own life.
Former Love Island host Caroline was found dead at the age of 40 at her London home on Saturday morning, with her family confirming that the cause of death was suicide.
In a lengthy blog post Russell, who has also suffered from depression, hit out at the “shame” around suicide.
He wrote: “We just don’t know who will or who won’t be pushed to a point of such inward pain and desperation that the dreadful certainty of suicide and the despair it inflicts on those left behind are insufficient deterrents.
(Image: Getty)
“I am angry and sad that Caroline Flack found herself in that place.
“I am sad because she was a lovely little person, a real laugh, a dynamo and the idea that she had been so drained of hope by her circumstances chokes me.
“I am angry because I have watched this play out before with vulnerable people in the public eye and I would like to slay with some righteous sword the salacious, foaming, incessant poking, trolling judgment that chased her to the grave.”
He compared Caroline to Jade Goody and Amy Winehouse, who both died in tragic circumstances after the public turned against them.
(Image: PA)
(Image: Russell Brand/Instagram)
Russell then said he had stepped back from the public eye himself because he didn’t like that it made him “vain, insecure, jealous and competitive”.
The father-of-two continued: “Caroline was surrounded by friends and families that loved her, that love her still through a shattered lens of anguish, and that love could not incubate her or protect her from the pain and shame that ended her life.
“We have the power to hurt one another and the power to heal one another, perhaps that’s the only power have.
“We can never see the poisitive impact of our actions, the times when our kindness and compassion may have saved a life but we can see what happens in its absence.
(Image: WireImage)
“As long as our public values continue to be an expression of lower human instinct none of us are exempt from the pain and shame that closed in on the bright and playful light that used to shine from Caroline.
“Our best hope is to build relationships and communities based on kindness, forgiveness and compassion, not easy values to maintain given the complexity within us and without us but Caroline’s death shows us the alternative is just too sad to bear.”
* Samaritans (116 123) operates a 24-hour service available every day of the year. If you prefer to write down how you’re feeling, or if you’re worried about being overheard on the phone, you can email Samaritans at jo@samaritans.org
