Paddy McGuinness paid tribute to Caroline Flack following her death, during Sport Relief’s 2020 broadcast.
Viewers were left in tears and praised the tribute, as former Take Me Out host Paddy McGuinness honoured Caroline in a bittersweet moment that aired during Friday night’s broadcast.
He told viewers that Caroline, who had previously worked with Sport Relief, would be ‘missed’, with fellow presenter Gary Lineker echoing his sentiments.
Paying tribute: Sport Relief 2020 honoured Caroline Flack during Friday night’s live broadcast, with host Paddy McGuinness paying tribute to the Love Island presenter in a moving moment
Caroline died by suicide on 15 February and Paddy had been among the celebrities paying tribute to the Love Island presenter, after news emerged of her passing.
He shared a text exchange he’d had with Caroline to Instagram and told fans: ‘Such a shame. We’re all fragile and we all need an arm around the shoulder and some reassurance from time to time. Check in on your friends and family. Rest peacefully Caroline.’
Paddy had messaged Caroline his support during a difficult few months which saw her step down from the first winter series of Love Island, after she was arrested for assault following an altercation with her boyfriend Lewis Burton.
Lewis chose not to press charges, but the Crown Prosecution Service decided to go ahead with Caroline’s trial and she was due in court on 4 March.
‘I’m crying’: Viewers were moved by Paddy’s tribute to Caroline and praised Sport Relief for the bittersweet moment
Caroline was laid to rest in a private funeral that took place earlier this week and was attended by her family and close friends.
She had previously been involved with Sport Relief and took a trip with the charity to Rwanda in 2014.
Viewers watching at home were moved by the tribute that aired during Friday night’s broadcast.
One viewer commented: ‘I’m crying now…. that tribute to Caroline Flack got me. She’s missed immensely.’
Another added: ‘@PaddyMcGuinness Nice one paying tribute to @carolineflack1.’
A third viewer tweeted: ‘The mention to Caroline Flack on sports relief has me in tears.
A fourth said: ‘@sportrelief Well done on a great tribute to Caroline Flack #BeKind.’
Doing their bit: Gary Lineker (pictured above with Sport Relief hosts Alex Scott and Paddy McGuinness) revealed this year’s broadcast will be giving a chunk of donations to those affected by the coronavirus pandemic
The BBC decided to go ahead with Sport Relief’s live broadcast, despite concerns about the coronavirus pandemic that has seen many TV shows cancelled due to concerns over the outbreak.
At the beginning of the show, Gary announced that this year’s fundraiser would be giving a chunk of donations raised to helping those affected by the coronavirus pandemic.
The Match of the Day host told viewers at home: ‘These are extraordinary and unprecedented times, never have the vulnerable been more vulnerable than they are now.
‘We are already making sure that a chunk of what we raise will be going to those affected by coronavirus.’
Paddy then thanked the studio’s live audience for coming out to support the cause, after the BBC decided to still go ahead with a live audience in place – assuring that their audience’s safety will be their top ‘priority’ during the program.
Rita Ora kicked things off this year with the first performance of her new track How To Be Lonely, co-written by Lewis Capaldi. The duo announced they’d teamed up on the track on Instagram just days before Sports Relief, with Lewis joking he’d handed the song over to Rita because he was ‘sh**e’ at singing it.
The Inter-Generational Connect Choir, based in Wales, then followed with a performance with You’ve Got A Friend In Me, with Gary announcing prior to their performance that the elderly members of the choir wouldn’t be in attendance as a precautionary measure following coronavirus concerns.
Talk then turned to dancing later in the show, with Paddy recalling his involvement in Let’s Dance For Comic Relief with Keith Lemon. They recreated the Dirty Dancing lift and, with Alex just finishing a stint on Strictly Come Dancing, the pair began discussing recreating the lift all in the name of Sport Relief.
But, Paddy soon had other ideas and instead turned to Gary to be his chosen dance partner.
‘Nobody puts Gary in the corner, step aside,’ Paddy told Alex, before hoisting Gary up into the air.
And the lift then launched into this year’s Sport Relief spin-off of The Greatest Dancer, with Kimberley Walsh surprising her BFF Cheryl, who sits on the judging panel, with her performance.
Kicking things off: Rita Ora was first to perform on Sport Relief 2020 and debuted her new track How To Be Lonely