Former Love Island presenter Caroline Flack dies

Jaylen Heady, Staff Writer

    On Saturday, February 15, Caroline Flack died. This news came as a huge shock to many fans of the popular reality show Love Island UK, the show she previously hosted. Flack died by suicide and was only 40 years old. 

    This tragic event comes just months after Flack stepped down as the host of Love Island back in December due to her charge of “assault by beating” involving her boyfriend Lewis Burton. She pleaded not guilty to those charges and was expected at a trial in March. Despite the charges and claims, her boyfriend posted a tribute to her on his Instagram saying, “My heart is broken. We had something so special…” 

    Following the break of the news, a spokesperson for ITV released a statement saying “Everybody at Love Island and ITV is shocked and saddened by this desperately sad news. Caroline was a much loved member of the Love Island team and our sincere thoughts and condolences are with her family and friends.” The network had also pulled the release of Sunday’s episode of the show out of respect for her. The next episode to air will feature a special tribute to Flack. 

    However, many fans are not happy with this gesture. The death of Flack has sparked a massive debate about the importance of mental health and many are claiming that Love Island should be cancelled entirely. Many have said that the show focuses too much on physical beauty and competition and does not care about the mental health of their contestants. This comes as a seemingly true statement since Flack is the fourth person linked to the show to die by suicide. But, others counter this claim by saying that the death of Flack should not be linked to the others because no one truly knows why they did what they did.

     This debate around the show will continue as some are now saying that the show in itself is not appropriate for this time of grief, while others are finding comfort in the fun, bubbly nature of it and the memory of Flack it holds.