Laura Whitmore shared a heartfelt post ahead of Sunday’s Love Island finale following the tragic death of Caroline Flack.
The Irish TV presenter took to Instagram to post a selfie of herself clad in a pink suit and a black ‘Choose Love’ T-shirt, which raises profits for Help Refugees, a cause close to both Laura and Caroline’s hearts.
In a subtle tribute to her dear friend, Laura explained that it’s ‘been a tough week’ for the entire cast and crew of the hit ITV dating show, which Caroline was originally the host of.
‘Choose Love’: Laura Whitmore shared a heartfelt post ahead of Sunday’s Love Island finale following the tragic death of Caroline Flack
She penned: ‘So many emotions ahead of @loveisland the Live Final tomorrow from 9pm @itv2 Been a tough week, let’s give all the love to the islanders.
‘Who’s your favourite couple!’
Choose Love is the world’s first store that sells real products for refugees, which each purchase buying a similar item for a person in need.
From 2018 onwards, Caroline was frequently seen sporting the charity top.
Gone too soon: Caroline took her own life hours after finding out she would face trial over the alleged assault of boyfriend Lewis Burton last year (Pictured in September 2019 at the launch of the Choose Love LFW Collection)
Choose Love: From 2018 onwards, Caroline was frequently seen sporting the charity top
Close friends: The presenter replaced Caroline on Love Island’s first-ever winter edition after the face of the show decided to step down from her role late last year (pictured in 2013)
Elsewhere, Laura’s boyfriend Iain Stirling, who narrates the ITV2 dating show, praised his other half for her work on Love Island in the wake of their friend Caroline’s sudden passing.
Ahead of the series final, Iain penned on Twitter: ‘Big day today. It’s the final of @LoveIsland. I hope you all tune in.
‘The contestants have been amazing this year. So a huge well done to all of them, the team that make the show what it is and of course @thewhitmore for being more incredible than I could have ever imagined. X.’
The social media posts come days after Laura paid tribute to her late friend Caroline on her BBC Radio Five Live show.
Caroline, 40, tragically took her own life last week, just hours after she was told she would face trial for allegedly assaulting her boyfriend Lewis Burton.
Praise: Laura’s boyfriend Iain Stirling, who narrates the ITV2 dating show, praised his other half for her work on Love Island in the wake of their friend Caroline’s sudden passing
‘Incredible’: He took to Twitter to share the heartfelt post
In her moving tribute to her late friend, Laura said last Sunday: ‘I wish we were talking under better circumstances and I’d been debating whether I should, would or could come on air today. But this isn’t about me, yesterday we lost someone before their time.
‘At age 40 Caroline Flack made the decision to take her own life and I want to talk about it. I want to talk about it, I want to talk about her and give her the respect that she deserves and that she didn’t always get.
‘Anyone who knew Caroline knew she was vivacious, loving and had a passion for life, which is why none of this makes sense.
‘Caroline loved dancing. Angels by Robbie Williams always reminds me of her because she danced so beautifully to it on Strictly and I’m going to play that song after I’ve said what I want to say.
‘Caroline loved music, she loved to dance. We shared many a dance floor at gigs, festivals.
‘I met her just shy of 10 years ago at V Festival and then we became friends. She was bubbly and for such a small stature, commanded a room. She loved to laugh and had the most infectious chuckle.
‘She also had many struggles. I’m not going to pretend that she was perfect, but is anyone?’
Laura also took the opportunity to defend the ITV2 dating show amid backlash in the wake of Caroline’s death.
Tribute: Laura has shared several social media tributes to Caroline after the presenter’s death
The blonde added: ‘Caroline loved to love. That’s all she wanted. Which is why the show Love Island was important to her because it’s about finding love, friendship, having a laugh.
‘The problem wasn’t the show, the show to work on was loving and caring and safe and protected.
‘I’d like to thank BBC and ITV for the support that I’ve had and those who’ve supported my decision to come in today as I felt it was the right thing to do.
‘Thank you to my boyfriend, the kindest man I know, to the whole Love Island family who are in mourning of their colleague and friends, and have been a great support over the last few hours. I love you.
‘To everyone, be kind in what you say. I’m going to carry on today and get through this show as that’s what Caroline would say to do.
CAROLINE FLACK: A CALL FOR HELP?
Caroline Flack spoke often about her struggles, both in interviews and on social media.
Caroline said, following her Strictly success: ‘Fame doesn’t make you happy’
STRICTLY CURSE?
The Strictly Come Dancing 2014 winner has said that she felt depressed following her victory on the BBC show.
After she won the series along with professional partner Pasha Kovalev, she admitted that she felt like she was ‘being held together by a piece of string which could snap at any time’.
In an unearthed interview cited by the Daily Star following her death, Caroline claimed that, ‘It all started the day after I won Strictly. I woke up and felt like somebody had covered my body in clingfilm. I couldn’t get up and just couldn’t pick myself up at all that next year.’
She went on: ‘People see the celebrity lifestyle and assume everything is perfect, but we’re just like everyone else. Everyone is battling something emotional behind closed doors – that’s life.
Ignored? ‘When I actually reached out to someone they said I was draining,’ Caroline admitted in October 2019
‘Fame doesn’t make you happy.’
‘BEING A BURDEN IS MY BIGGEST FEAR’
In an Instagram post she uploaded on 14 October 2019 – to mark World Mental Health Day – Caroline captioned a photo of herself: ‘Some days it’s hard to write your feelings of your not in the right place.
‘The last few weeks I’ve been in a really weird place… I find it hard to talk about it… I guess it’s anxiety and pressure of life… and when I actually reached out to someone they said I was draining.
‘I feel like this is why some people keep their emotions to themselves. I certainly hate talking about my feelings. And being a burden is my biggest fear…
‘I’m lucky to be able to pick myself up when things feel s**t. But what happens if someone can’t. Be nice to people. You never know what’s going on. Ever.’ [sic]
SOCIAL SILENCE
Signs of suicide? She liked tweets about calling The Samaritans over Christmas
Caroline was told to stay off social media following her assault charge in December 2019.
However, she notably liked a string of tweets in the days afterwards, before Christmas, encouraging those feeling lonely over the holidays to seek help.
The tweets – posted by the likes of actress Sheridan Smith, journalist Stacey Dooley and comedian Luke Kempner – included the telephone number for The Samaritans’ suicide hotline.
She also posted to Instagram around the same time: ‘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.’
SELF-HELP?
It was reported that Caroline had decided to write a book, during her recent time off.
‘Caroline has found the process incredibly cathartic,’ one of her friends told the Mail. ‘She wants it to be more than just a story about her. She wants to talk about the problems she’s encountered and how she’s overcome them.
‘She hopes to be able to help others who may be going through similar difficulties. Part self-help, part memoir is the style that Caroline is looking for.’
‘Caroline, I’m so sad for you, for your family. I’m angry that you saw this as your only option as I know how much love and support you had, I’m sorry you didn’t know that. I’m not sure when but I’ll see you on the dance floor again and I hope you’re at peace and know that you are loved.’
Laura replaced Caroline on Love Island’s first-ever winter edition after the face of the show decided to step down from her role late last year.
The former X Factor presenter was told she would face trial for allegedly assaulting her boyfriend Lewis, 27 – a claim she denied.
Her management have slammed the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) for pursuing the ‘show trial’ after former tennis player Lewis said he did not want to press charges.
The ex-sportsman had claimed she hit him with a lamp in December before asking the CPS not to press charges.
If you have been affected by this story, you can call the Samaritans on 116 123 or visit www.samaritans.org
Tragic news: The ITV star was found dead just hours after finding out she would face trial over the alleged assault of her boyfriend Lewis Burton (pictured in October 2019)