Caroline Flack died suddenly in February last year. Photo / Getty Images
Caroline Flack died suddenly in February last year. Photo / Getty Images
Caroline Flack's family begged her to quit showbusiness.
The family of the tragic TV presenter - who died by suicide in February 2020 at the age of 40 - have revealed they tried to convince Flack to step out of the spotlight in order to have an "easy life".
Speaking in the upcoming TV documentary Caroline Flack: Her Life And Death, her twin sister Jody said: "I would beg her to change jobs and leave showbiz but she never would, life would have been easier but she wasn't built for an easy life.
"She was always scared she'd be ridiculed, she was terrified to admit her mental health struggles.
Flack's close friend Dermot O'Leary added that she was "addicted [to fame] but couldn't cope with it".
And Flack's mother Christine claimed she "regularly changed doctors so nobody would know the full extent of her problems".
Family of the Love Island presenter said they want Flack to be remembered in a positive light. Photo / Getty Images
She went on to implore Instagram and Twitter to tackle online trolling.
She said: "I don't think they protect anyone – you can't get away from it, it follows you on your phone. They are making money from it and need to step up."
Her family have revealed that she always struggled with heartbreak when her relationship ended.
Christine, 70, told the Channel 4 documentary: "She had a long relationship when she was in Cambridge but that ended and then we got a call ... she spent time in hospital and then you could tell it wasn't right, her reaction wasn't right. Yeah, she didn't handle heartbreak well.
"We went through all the doctors and they saw to her and thought no it's just a one-off but there was always that fear after then that ... I don't know, you always worried in case anything happened."
Jody, 41, added: "It feels so weird talking about it because I know it's something she never wanted anybody to know about.
"Each serious boyfriend, she sort of took a lot of tablets, drank a lot, and ended up in an A&E situation a lot of times. She really didn't think she could cope with that feeling so it was her trying to control it."
Flack's family said she was ashamed of her mental health struggles and did not want anyone to know about her difficulties.
During a Q&A held by Bafta for the documentary, Christine said: "She hated the thought of people thinking she was this awful person ... She didn't want anyone to know she got down and I know they say everyone's talking about it now but I think a lot of people that really suffer with depression still don't talk about it, they don't. I think people are still frightened to say it."
Caroline Flack died suddenly in February last year. Photo / Getty Images
And the late presenter's family just want her to be remembered in a positive light, after accusations that she had attacked her boyfriend Lewis Burton marred her final months.
Christine said: "I wanted to show Carrie in a positive light, I wanted all the last months of the things that were written about her and said about her, her being an abuser, and things like that, they're the things that stuck and got repeated and I just wanted to show she was an ordinary girl, that wasn't her.
"What was shown at the end wasn't her. She wasn't perfect but that wasn't her.
"Everyone was saying you can't say anything yet but I wanted to show a positive side to Caroline and the memory to be of this positive, nice person, and my daughter, and a sister, she never changed and she was good to us and lovely."
Where to get help
• Lifeline: 0800 543 354 (available 24/7) • Suicide Crisis Helpline: 0508 828 865 (0508 TAUTOKO) (available 24/7) • Youth services: (06) 3555 906 • Youthline: 0800 376 633 • Kidsline: 0800 543 754 (available 24/7) • Whatsup: 0800 942 8787 (1pm to 11pm) • Depression helpline: 0800 111 757 (available 24/7) • Rainbow Youth: (09) 376 4155 • Helpline: 1737 If it is an emergency and you feel like you or someone else is at risk, call 111.
