Caroline Flack's death ruled as suicide by coroner as inquest concludes
Note: The following article contains discussion of themes including suicide that some readers may find upsetting.
Caroline Flack's death has been ruled as suicide by a coroner after the inquest into her death concluded today (August 6).
The Love Island presenter and former X Factor host died in February at the age of 40, and an initial inquest provisionally confirmed that Flack had died by suicide before it was adjourned until August.
Coroner Mary Hassell has now reached a verdict of suicide following the inquest, ruling that Caroline Flack killed herself after an "exacerbation and fluctuation" of mental ill health and distress.
Related: Caroline Flack's family release unpublished Instagram post from before her death
In her observations, Hassell noted that Flack's "overall mental state had several causes", and pointed to Flack's arrest for assault in December 2019 and the upcoming trial as events that had exacerbated the presenter's poor mental state further.
Flack had pleaded not guilty to assault after being accused of attacking her boyfriend Lewis Burton last year, and was due to stand trial in March 2020.
Following her passing, several famous faces and stars of Love Island paid tribute to the presenter, with the ITV2 series' narrator sharing a touching on-screen tribute too when the show returned after a brief break.
"We are all absolutely devastated by the tragic news that Caroline, a much-loved member of our Love Island family, has passed away. Our thoughts are with her family and friends at this dreadful time," Iain said.
"Like many of you, right now we're just trying to come to terms with what has happened. My only hope is that we can all try and be kinder, always show love, and listen to one another.
"Caroline, I want to thank you for all the fun times we had, making our favourite show. You were a true friend to me. I'm going to miss you, Caz."
The British Academy of Film and Television Arts also recently paid tribute to the star during the Virgin Media Television BAFTAs earlier this month, including the presenter in the In Memoriam section of famous faces that have died this year.
We would encourage anyone who identifies with the topics raised in this article to reach out. Organisations who can offer support include Samaritans on 116 123 (www.samaritans.org) or Mind on 0300 123 3393 (www.mind.org.uk). Readers in the US are encouraged to visit mentalhealth.gov or the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.
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