Caroline Flack’s mother: It hurts seeing fake friends grieve on TV

Caroline Flack’s mother has said she feels “really hurt” seeing people who were not close to her daughter grieve publicly about her as if they were.

The Love Island presenter took her own life at the age of 40 in February 2020.

Her mother, Christine Flack, said she expects this Christmas to be challenging.

She told The Sun newspaper: “It’s been worse this year because it’s become real.”

She added: “It’s hard. I saw someone on the telly this week calling her a friend and it really hurt.

“When a death is in the media you can’t just grieve quietly. There’s lots of people grieving that don’t know her personally, so you’re looking after them, as well as all her friends.”

Flack’s mother and her twin sister, Jody, helped produce the documentary Caroline Flack: Her Life And Death for Channel 4 earlier this year.

The documentary tells the story of her life and death, as well as her mental health issues.

Christine Flack said: “There was so much going on last year, with everything, people talking, and that documentary really helped.”

Before its release, her mother spoke out against social media companies for failing to protect her daughter from abuse on their platforms.

Flack, known for her TV work on shows including Love Island and The X Factor, was found dead at her home in Stoke Newington, north-east London, on February 15 2020.

A coroner ruled she took her own life after learning prosecutors were going to press ahead with an assault charge over an incident with boyfriend Lewis Burton.

Flack’s death prompted an outpouring of sorrow from celebrity friends, colleagues and fans, who referenced one of the former Strictly winner’s social media posts in which she urged people to “be kind”.