Late English television presenter Caroline Flack’s brother, Paul Flack, died on June 21. He was found unresponsive at his home in Norwich, England and taken to a local hospital, where he was later pronounced deceased. Paul was 55.
According to Hello! Magazine, he succumbed to a cardiac arrest. Meanwhile, on June 29, the Norfolk coroner’s court opened an inquest during which coroner Yvonne Blake said that more inquiries would be needed before the circumstances around Paul’s death could be officially determined. The hearing was adjourned until October 23, the Eastern Daily Press reported.
Paul Flack was preceded in death by Caroline Flack. The younger sister took her own life by hanging at her apartment in Stoke Newington, London, on February 15, 2020. She was 40.
It came two months after she was charged with assault for allegedly attacking her boyfriend, Lewis Burton, in his sleep, on suspicion of cheating.
Paul Flack, a graphic designer/ artist, is survived by his partner and two children.
Exploring the months leading up to Caroline Flack’s death
Caroline Flack began dating ex-tennis player, model, businessman, and social media influencer Lewis Burton in July 2019, after being introduced by mutual friends.
In November, authorities responded to a domestic violence call at the pair’s shared London apartment. Lewis accused Caroline of hitting him with a lamp and a phone in his sleep. She was allegedly angry after finding texts from another woman on his phone and tried to wake him up and confront him.
Investigators discovered a pool of blood inside the residence, which they originally suspected was Burton’s, who had suffered a non-life-threatening head injury. Later, it was revealed that the blood belonged to Caroline Flack, who reportedly tried to kill herself. The Xtra Factor host was charged with assault while Lewis Burton continued to claim on social media that he didn’t press charges.
Meanwhile, reports about Caroline’s yearlong mental health struggles surfaced in the news. Before her case could go to trial on March 4, 2020, she died by suicide two weeks before. Back then, Lewis mourned his girlfriend via Instagram:
“My heart is broken. We had something so special. I am so lost for words, I am in so much pain, I miss you so much. I know you felt safe with me; you always said I don’t think about anything else when I am with you, and I was not allowed to be there this time. I kept asking and asking.”
The post had the couple’s picture with a broken heart emoji. The caption continued:
“I will be your voice, baby. I promise I will ask all the questions you wanted and I will get all the answers. Nothing will bring you back, but I will try to make you proud every day. I love you with all my heart.”
Today, Lewis Burton, 34, has two children, son Lucky, 4, and daughter Flossie, 1, with fellow model and content creator Lottie Tomlinson, the younger sister of One Direction member Louis Tomlinson. The couple began their romance in November 2020 and have been engaged since November 2023.
Last November, Disney+ released a two-part docuseries called Caroline Flack: Search for the Truth. Directed by Christian Collerton, it attempted to retrace the months leading up to the late host’s demise. Caroline Flack’s mother Christine told Cosmopolitan UK that the show
“investigates the truth about her daughter’s final months, uncovering new details and examining pressures that shaped Caroline’s last days.”
The mom of four stated:
“[Lewis has] gone on to have his life now, he’s got another life. So, I don’t think anyone had to be dragged back into this film. That’s not what it was about. [Caroline’s] friend wanted to talk, Mollie, and she was with Carrie a lot during those final months and knew things I didn’t know, so that was important.”
Christine continued:
“But Caroline hadn’t seen Lewis after the incident, or wasn’t allowed to see him. And so, it didn’t really seem that relevant, because everything he’d said was in writing.”
While Burton did not appear on the documentary, his social media posts in the aftermath of the alleged assault and his ex-girlfriend’s death were shown.
Producer Sophie Clayton-Payne further explained to Cosmopolitan UK:
“We approached him right from the beginning, and we said, ‘We’d love to speak to you, either [on or] off the record, just for research purposes. We’d also love you to take part in the series.’ He declined the offer… If he didn’t want to take part in this, we were never going to pressure him to do so.”
Clayton-Payne shared that during the filming of the docuseries, her team kept Lewis Burton updated, while keeping the “door open throughout the process” in case he changed his mind and wanted to reach out. But, he never did.
“It’s really important to remember that everyone grieves differently. Lewis has never spoken about this publicly, and we have a duty of care towards everybody on and off-camera,” Sophie added.
Ever since the Love Island anchor’s passing six years ago, her family launched an annual charity event called Flackstock Music Festival in her honor. It aims to raise funds and awareness about mental health struggles.
In the aftermath of Caroline Flack’s untimely passing, her family issued a statement confirming the tragedy and asking the press and fans to respect their privacy.
Christine Callis Flack, told Eastern Daily Press following her private memorial service:
“There were lots of memories, smiles but mostly tears as we all remembered Carrie and the joy she had brought to all of our lives. All the family would like to say thank you so much to all Carrie’s friends who travelled from all over the world to be there that day and who appreciated why we wanted to bring her back home to Norfolk.”
The grieving mother added:
“Friends included all the old pals she had either worked alongside or presented with on Fash FC, I’m A Celebrity, Xtra Factor, Love Island, friends old and new from the world of Strictly, the Bake Off and many many more.”
At the funeral, Caroline Flack’s close friends, singers Lucie Jones and Ciara, performed She Used to Be Mine and The Sulking Room, respectively.
Caroline’s sisters, Jody and Elizabeth, mourned her death via social media, as did Paul. In August 2020, six months after losing their famous sister, the only brother took to Instagram, shared a picture of Caroline Flack from when she was a little girl, and wrote:
“This will be my last post here. May those who know feel shame for eternity. Love you, Caroline, x.”
He later also appeared on the 2021 documentary, Caroline Flack: Her Life and Death.
It is noteworthy that the Crown Prosecution Service had recommended that Ms Flack be given a “caution” after the domestic abuse incident involving Mr Burton, stating the “injured party does not support the allegation.” However, the ruling was overturned when the Met appealed and got her charged with assault by beating.
Later, a review by the Independent Office for Police Conduct concluded that there wasn’t sufficient “record of rationale” to appeal against the original ruling and the Met was asked to apologize to the Flack family.
However, upon Caroline Flack’s demise, her mother told the BBC that she didn’t accept the mea culpa as the authorities continued to insist the case, as well as Caroline Flack’s arrest, was handled properly.
Coroner Mary Hassell said in August 2020 after concluding the cause of death as suicide by hanging:
“I find the reason for her taking her life was she now knew she was being prosecuted for certain, and she knew she would face the media, press, publicity — it would all come down upon her. Her trauma was played out in the national press and that was incredibly distressing for her.”
At the inquest, Christine Flack slammed the forces, by saying:
“No real evidence was put forward. If it was an ordinary person, you wouldn’t have been bothered. You should be disgusted with yourself. That girl killed herself because you put an appeal through.”
Meanwhile, the incident effectively damaged Caroline Flack’s reputation and career, including getting her terminated from the hosting gig of Love Island.
Edited by Pallavi K