A coroner has ruled Caroline Flack’s death as a suicide, stating that “the reason for her taking her life was she now knew she was being prosecuted.”
The 40-year-old presenter was found dead at her home in North London on February 15, just two months after she was arrested for assault following a row with her boyfriend Lewis Burton.
The inquest into her death concluded at Poplar Coroner’s Court in east London today, where her tragic death was officially ruled as a suicide.
“The key decision for me to make.. is whether Caroline took her own life,” Coroner Mary Hassell told the court, “There’s no doubt in my mind about that. Therefore the appropriate conclusion for me to return is one of suicide.”
“Caroline had fluctuating mental ill health, she had had struggles in the past,” she continued.
“She had had difficulties. In spite of the fact she may have led – to some – a charmed life, actually the more famous she got the more some of these difficulties increased – she had to deal with the media in a way most of us don’t.”
“It was played out in the national press – and that was incredibly difficult for her. She faced the prospect of not working in the job she loved, losing a great deal.”
“I find the reason for her taking her life was she now knew she was being prosecuted for certainty, and she knew she would face the media, press, publicity – it would all come down upon her.”
“To me, that’s it in essence,” she concluded the inquest.
Caroline took her own life just hours after she was told she would face trial for the alleged assault – despite the fact that Lewis didn’t want to press charges.
Shortly after her death, Caroline’s family also released an unpublished Instagram post the presenter wanted to share before she died.
In the heartfelt statement, the TV star denied being a “domestic abuser”, and said the incident between her and Lewis was simply an “accident”.
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