What Happened to Caroline Flack? Everything We Know About Her Death

Warning: The following post contains discussions of suicide.

Caroline Flack was just 40 years old when she died in February 2020. Two months before her death, she appeared in court after being charged with assault following an incident with her boyfriend, Lewis Burton.

In the new docuseries Caroline Flack: Search for the Truth, Flack’s mother “investigates the truth about her daughter’s final months, uncovering new details and examining pressures that shaped Caroline’s last days.” Scroll down for everything we know about the late Love Island UK host’s death and the weeks that led up to it.

How did Caroline Flack die?

Flack died by suicide, coroner Mary Hassell confirmed in August 2020. It was ruled that she died from hanging.

During a two-day inquest, Hassell revealed that the public scrutiny stemming from Flack’s pending trial for the assault charge attributed to her death. Although Flack pleaded not guilty to the charge against her, she learned she was going to be prosecuted and took her own life ahead of the planned March 4, 2020, trial.

“I find the reason for her taking her life was she now knew she was being prosecuted for certainty, and she knew she would face the media, press, publicity — it would all come down upon her,” Hassell said. She also added, “Her trauma was played out in the national press and that was incredibly distressing for her.”

What happened to Caroline Flack?

Flack was charged with assault in December 2019. In Search for the Truth, it was revealed that her altercation with Burton took place after she confronted him about a message he received from a woman on his phone. Burton suffered a minor head injury after Flack hit him with a phone during the confrontation.

Burton called the police as the situation escalated. Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) initially did not plan to press charges, noting that “the injured party does not support the allegation.” However, the Metropolitan Police appealed the decision and said it was in the public interest to charge Flack with assault.

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At the August 2020 inquest, Flack’s mother told the court that her daughter was “seriously let down by the authorities and in particular the CPS for pursuing the case.” She also claimed that Flack’s position as a public figure was the reason she was charged, telling authorities, “No real evidence was put forward. If it was an ordinary person, you wouldn’t have been bothered. You should be disgusted with yourself. That girl killed herself because you put an appeal through.”

Burton told the court that the last time he saw Flack “she was not in a good place,” noting that “the media were constantly bashing her character” and “writing hurtful stories” about her.

If you or anyone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or dial 988. If you or a loved one are in immediate danger, call 911.

Caroline Flack: Search for the Truth, Streaming Now, Hulu