Caroline Flack was the Love Island presenter who had a meteoric rise to fame, but lost her dream job just months before she was found dead aged 40.
The star first rose to prominence as a CBBC presenter in the mid 2000s, before landing a job as the host of The Xtra Factor in 2011.
After being crowned Strictly Come Dancing champion in 2014, Caroline landed the ultimate job as Love Island’s host in 2015, but stepped down late last year after she was arrested for assault.
Career: Caroline Flack was the Love Island presenter who had a meteoric rise to fame, but lost her dream job just months before she was found dead aged 40
Caroline grew up in Great Hockham near Norwich with her twin sister Jody, and gained a place at a Cambridge stage school aged just 16.
She first rose to fame in the mid 2000s when she appeared on the CBBC series TMI with Sam Nixon and Mark Rhodes, and in 2008 took over from Kirsty Gallacher as the host of Gladiators.
In 2009 the star landed the job as the host of I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here Now! and in 2011 she joined forces with Olly Murs as the host of The Xtra Factor in replacement of Konnie Huq.
The pair took over as The X Factor’s main hosts in 2015, but were replaced by the returning Dermot O’ Leary following a mixed reaction from viewers.
TV star: She first rose to fame in the mid 2000s when she hosted the CBBC series TMI, and in 2008 (pictured) took over from Kirsty Gallacher as the host of Gladiators
Dynamic duo: In 2011 she took over as host of The Xtra Factor alongside Olly Murs (above in 2012) and they went onto present the main show in 2015
Caroline went onto earn a whole new army of fans when she was crowned the winner of Strictly Come Dancing in 2014 alongside professional partner Pasha Kovalev.
Four years later, she talked about the difficulties she faced after lifting the Glitterball Trophy, telling The Sun that she felt as though her body was ‘covered’ in ‘clingfilm’ the morning after her dancefloor triumph, adding that she felt ‘ridiculous’ feeling so low.
She added: ‘I couldn’t get up and just couldn’t pick myself up at all that next year.’
In March 2019, Caroline took part in an episode of Channel 4’s charity show The Great Celebrity Bake Off for Stand Up To Cancer alongside other celebrities including journalist Krishnan Guru-Murthy, actor Greg Wise and boxer Nicola Adams.
Flack made her West End stage debut playing Roxie Hart in Chicago in 2018 having previously appeared on stage in a touring version of Crazy For You.
In 2015, she released an autobiography called Storm In A C Cup.
Aside from her career, Flack’s love life has made headlines over the years thanks to romances with the likes of Harry Styles and Prince Harry.
In 2011, she was linked to One Direction star Styles, who had been on The X Factor the previous year, when he was 17 and she was 31.
In her autobiography, Flack went into detail about how she met Prince Harry on a night out in 2009 through mutual friend Natalie Pinkham after she had split with a boyfriend.
She said they ‘spent the evening chatting and laughing’, but ‘once the story got out, that was it. We had to stop seeing each other.
‘I was no longer Caroline Flack, TV presenter, I was Caroline Flack, Prince Harry’s bit of rough.’
Flack became engaged to former Apprentice and Celebrity Big Brother star Andrew Brady in April 2018, but the pair split a few months later.
Most recently Flack had been in a relationship with former tennis player Lewis Burton.
In December last year, Flack denied assaulting him in an incident that left them both covered in blood in scenes likened to a ‘horror movie’.
The alleged incident saw Flack step down as host of the winter series of Love Island, after it was alleged she hit Burton, 27, over the head with a lamp, causing a head injury.
But former professional tennis player and model Burton said he did not support the prosecution and insisted he was not a victim, Highbury Corner Magistrates’ Court was told.
He spoke out in defence of Flack, saying she has become the subject of a ‘witch hunt’ following her arrest.
Out: Caroline and Olly only hosted The X Factor for one series, but they were replaced by Dermot O’Leary after earning a mixed reaction from viewers
The following year Caroline landed a job as Love Island’s host when the show was revived on ITV2, and also presented its sister show Aftersun.
She stepped down in December 2019 after she was arrested for assaulting her boyfriend Lewis Burton, and was scheduled to go on trial on 4th March.
On Christmas Eve, a day after her assault hearing and pleading not guilty to common assault, Caroline shared a picture of herself as she penned: ‘Been advised not to go on social media … but I wanted to say happy Christmas to everyone who has been so incredibly kind to me this year…..
‘this kind of scrutiny and speculation is a lot to take on for one person to take on their own… I’m a human being at the end of the day and I’m not going to be silenced when I have a story to tell and a life to keep going with ….
‘I’m taking some time out to get feeling better and learn some lessons from situations I’ve got myself into to.I have nothing but love to give and best wishes for everyone’.
Riding high: Caroline earned a new army of fans when she was crowned the winner of Strictly Come Dancing in 2014 alongside professional partner Pasha Kovalev
Caroline quit her role as host of Love Island in December, with her friend Laura Whitmore currently presenting the winter series.
Caroline appeared in court on December 12, charged with assaulting her boyfriend Lewis, during an apparent late-night altercation.
But a source claimed the former Love Island host was in a much better place and had given up alcohol in preparation for her TV comeback.
The insider told The Sun: ‘Caroline has not touched alcohol since before Christmas and has been getting to the gym every day.’
The publication also claimed Love Island bosses would like to have Caroline back as host for the next series in the summer, if she is cleared of assaulting Lewis following her trial, which is scheduled for March.
Caroline Flack’s Turbulent Love Life
Prince Harry, aged 34
Thje Prince romanced Caroline in 2009
- Caroline revealed she was introduced to Prince Harry by their mutual friend Natalie Pinkham, a Formula One correspondent for Sky Sports.
- Sparks flew when the pair enjoyed a night out a decade ago in 2009, shortly after Caroline had split from another ex.
- She later penned in her book: ‘Once the story got out, that was it. We had to stop seeing each other.
- ‘I was no longer Caroline Flack, TV presenter. I was Caroline Flack, Prince Harry’s bit of rough.’
Olly Murs, aged 34
Olly and Caroline were colleagues when romance rumours began to fly
- Caroline candidly admitted she nearly slept with Olly when they presented The Xtra Factor together in 2011.
- They shared a kiss as they toasted her Cosmopolitan Ultimate Women Award with a private moment in the photobooth in November 2015.
- The pair’s on-screen chemistry was all everyone could talk about when they hosted The Xtra Factor together from 2011 until 2012.
- Rumours were swirling the pair were in the throes of love as they hosted The X Factor together in 2015 for a year.
Harry Styles, aged 24
Harry and Caroline dated in 2011
- Back in 2011, Caroline was 31 when she started romancing 17-year-old Harry.
- The television host admitted she knew the singer had a crush on her before she pursued a romance with the heartthrob.
- She said of their brief fling in The Sun on Sunday: ‘I already knew that he had a crush on me, he’s made it pretty obvious as he’s said it in magazines.
- ‘I’ve never felt I was much older than Harry. I still feel 18 and I probably act that way half the time.
- ‘Although it was just a bit of fun we decided it was best to keep it to ourselves as we were both working for Simon Cowell.’
Jack Street, aged 31
Jack and Caroline split, rekindled and split again
- The Love Island host caught Jack’s eye when he was only 26 years old.
- Caroline and Jack’s love story goes back until 2014 and the couple dated happily for 18 months before their abrupt split.
- They briefly rekindled the flames of their love in 2015 but the damage couldn’t be repaired and they went their separate ways for good.
Andrew Brady, aged 28
Andrew proposed to Caroline in 2018
- Caroline was 38 while Andrew was 27 when they first started dating.
- The Love Island personality and the Apprentice star had a rocky on/off romance which had a heartbreaking end for the pair of them.
- The couple got engaged in April 2018 after just a few weeks of dating but they separated from each other a numerous times last year.
- Now Andrew has jetted off to Australia on a one-way ticket to get a fresh start in 2019 after they finally called it quits on their romance forever.
- Caroline got rid of the final traces of her ex as she proudly showed off she had his initials ‘AB’ erased from her wrist.
AJ was seen with Caroline at NTAs 2019
AJ Pritchard, aged 24
- In January 2018, Caroline was snapped chatting cozily to Strictly Come Dancing pro AJ, who is 24.
- They were said to be getting close at the National Television Awards after-party at London ‘s The O2 with sources saying they locked lips.
- Insiders at the bash claim the duo moved around for some privacy before they were spotted in the alleged clinch behind the scenes.
It was also reported Caroline is planning to move back in with her boyfriend Lewis once the trial comes to an end.
Caroline appeared in court over the incident with her boyfriend in December – where a judge heard she hit the former tennis player.
The court was told she read texts on Lewis’ phone that made her think he was cheating on her before the alleged attack.
She and her partner Lewis were both allegedly covered in blood when police arrived at their flat in Islington, North London, on December 12, with Lewis saying in a 999 call that she ‘tried to kill me, mate’, Highbury Corner Magistrates’ Court heard.
One officer described the chaotic scene as ‘like a horror movie’.
Lewis was said to have been ‘almost begging the operator to send help’ with his face ‘covered in blood’, while Caroline allegedly had two cuts to her wrist.
After being taken into custody, former X Factor host Caroline – whom the court heard was ‘manipulative’ towards Lewis and accused him of ruining her life – allegedly flipped over a table and had to be restrained on the ground by police.
Her boyfriend was allegedly left with ‘significant head injuries’.
Caroline pleaded not guilty to common assault and the court heard she wanted to ‘spend time’ with him over the Christmas and New Year period, but she was banned from communicating with him until her trial.