Laura Whitmore has posted a heartbreaking tribute to her close friend Caroline Flack after the presenter was found dead in her London flat at the age of 40.
The Irish presenter tweeted a throwback image with her friend along with an emotional poem, which she captioned: ‘I’m trying to find the words but I can’t.’
Laura took over from Caroline when she stepped down from hosting duties following an assault charge at the end of last year.
‘I’m trying to find the words but I can’t’: Laura Whitmore has posted a heartbreaking tribute to her close friend Caroline Flack after the presenter was found dead in her London flat at the age of 40
The poem 34-year-old Laura shared read: ‘To lose someone so special is really hard to bear, it hardly seems believable that you’re no longer there. You left us far too early before your time, it seems and now you’ll never have the chance to fulfill all those dreams.
‘However hard it is though we’ll take comfort in the thought of all the memories we have and the happiness you brought. You always lived life to the full but ours won’t be the same until the day when we can see your smiling face again.’
When Caroline stood down from this season of Love Island, Laura posted a tribute to her at the time to say: ‘To say I’m excited to be heading to Cape Town to host Love Island, the biggest show on television, is an understatement. I want to thank ITV for trusting me at the helm of this huge show.
‘I wish it was in better circumstances; Caroline is a brilliant host and also a friend. We’ve spoken a lot in the last few days since she stepped down. She has been very kind to me and strongly pushed me for this role.
Standing in: Laura took over from Caroline when she stepped down from hosting duties following an assault charge at the end of last year
Final snap: Caroline shared a final sweet photo with her dog Ruby just two days before she was found dead at her London flat at the age of 40
‘I’ve watched her host every series and know I have big boots to fill. I will try and do it justice.’
Whilst Caroline said at the time: ‘I’m glad it’s Laura … she loves the show as much as I do … again … thank you for you continuous messages of support … it’s a really rough time … but I’m doing all can to keep my head above the water and sort this all out … (sic)’
Prior to her death, Caroline shared a final sweet photo with her dog Ruby. The presenter shared it to her Instagram grid – the first time in two months – which saw her fawning over her French Bulldog.
Caroline’s collage of snaps, captioned simply with a love heart emoji, were posted two days before she was found dead at her London flat.
Last moments: Earlier this week, Caroline was seen wall climbing with a friend at The Castle Climbing Centre in London on Wednesday night
The star’s family has been informed and in a statement tonight said: ‘We can confirm that our Caroline passed away today on the 15th February.
‘We would ask that the press both respect the privacy of the family at this difficult time.’
Love Island also released a statement, they said: ‘Everybody at Love Island and ITV is shocked and saddened by this desperately sad news.
‘Caroline was a much loved member of the Love Island team and our sincere thoughts and condolences are with her family and friends.’
Tragic: The star’s family has been informed of her death and in a statement tonight said: ‘We can confirm that our Caroline passed away today on the 15th February’ (pictured in November)
Earlier this week, Caroline was seen wall climbing with a friend at The Castle Climbing Centre in London on Wednesday night.
In a video shared to Instagram by her TV producer pal, Mollie Grosberg, the giggling Love Island star could be seen attempting to the climb the wall but backtracking as she got too high.
Caroline, who jetted back to the UK last month after a Los Angeles break to ‘clear her head’ amid her assault charge, appeared in good spirits during the clip which was captioned: ‘We r professional climbers #healthiswealth.’
Caroline was best known for previously fronting the hugely popular ITV2 show Love Island, which has tonight been rocked by the third death of one of its former stars.
Contestants Mike Thalassitis and Sophie Gradon took their own lives following their appearances on the dating programme, throwing the show’s future into question.
Caroline’s death comes just weeks before she was due to go on trial for assaulting partner Lewis Burton, who in December accused her of hitting him with a lamp before backtracking on these claims.
Care-free: In a video shared to Instagram by her TV producer pal, Mollie Grosberg, the giggling Love Island star could be seen attempting to the climb the wall but backtracking as she got too high
Yesterday, the model and tennis player posted a picture of him and Flack on Instagram and wrote: ‘Happy Valentine’s… Love You.’
His heartfelt snap followed an announcement by Caroline that she was about to break her silence about her troubled personal life.
In January she wrote: ‘I’m going to speak today… mine and my family’s life is no longer up for entertainment or gossip,’
Court: Caroline’s death comes just weeks before she was due to go on trial for assaulting partner Lewis Burton, who in December accused her of hitting him with a lamp before backtracking on these claims (pictured together in October 2019)
But a source said she wrote the post ‘without thinking’ and changed her mind, vowing to keep quiet until the time was right.
The saga surrounding Caroline’s court case saw her step down from hosting Love Island – the winter series is currently on air and is being hosted by Laura Whitmore.
Yet it was understood that she would return to the ITV2 show in the summer if cleared in court for the assault allegations.
If you have been affected by this story, you can call the Samaritans on 116 123 or visit www.samaritans.org.
Sad: Caroline was best known for previously fronting the hugely popular ITV2 show Love Island, which has tonight been rocked by the third death of one of its former stars (pictured last year)