‘She was so very fragile’: Caroline Flack was diagnosed with bipolar weeks before her tragic suicide and was ‘petrified’ of being labelled as ‘mental’, her mother Christine reveals
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- Caroline Flack was diagnosed with bipolar disorder just weeks before she was found dead in her London flat, her mother Christine has revealed
- Christine said her daughter was ‘petrified’ of people seeing her ‘dark side’ and thinking she was ‘mental’
- She died on February 15th 2020 – a day after she heard the CPS would pursue a trial following a drunken row with then-boyfriend Lewis Burton
- Her mother also hit out at Love Island, the show which Caroline was the presenter branding them ‘hypocritical’
- Latest Love Island news and updates from the Series 7 contestants right here
Caroline Flack was diagnosed with bipolar just weeks before her tragic suicide, her mother Christine has revealed.
The former Love Island host was found dead aged 40 in her London flat on February 15 last year- a day after she heard the CPS would pursue a trial following a drunken row with then-boyfriend Lewis Burton.
And on Friday, her mother blasted Love Island for the ‘hypocritical’ treatment of her daughter following the incident, amid her ‘fragile’, and worsening mental health.
‘She was so very fragile’: Caroline Flack was diagnosed with bipolar just weeks before her tragic suicide, her mother Christine has revealed
Speaking from her Norfolk home, she told The Sun: ‘It’s so important to me that Carrie [Caroline] is not tainted by those last few months of her life, it’s tragic, I hate the memory of my daughter to be a negative one because she wasn’t negative.’
Christine – who is also the mother to Lizzie, 51, Paul, 50, and Caroline’s twin sister Jody, 41 – said her daughter suffered for a ‘long time’ in silence as she discussed her final medical appointment to address her mental health.
Bipolar disorder is a brain disorder which causes unusual and often sudden changes in mood and energy levels.
‘That was the thing; she hid it,’ Christine reflected. ‘The last doctor she saw thought she may have had bipolar and that’s what I always thought, It was just constant highs, all of a sudden, then the lows.’
Tragedy: The former Love Island host was found dead aged 40 in her London flat, a day after she heard CPS would pursue a trial following a drunken row with then-boyfriend Lewis Burton
WHAT IS BIPOLAR?
Bipolar disorder is a brain disorder which causes unusual and often sudden changes in mood and energy levels.
WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS?
Moods of those with bipolar disorder range from periods of extreme elation and energy (known as a manic episode) to periods of extreme somberness and lack of energy (known as a depressive episode).
HOW IS IT DIAGNOSED?
According to the International Bipolar Foundation, sufferers are diagnosed with rapid cycling if they have four or more manic, hypomanic, or depressive episodes in any 12-month period.
This severe form of the condition occurs in around 10 to 20 percent of all people with bipolar disorder.
WHAT CAUSES IT?
Currently it is unknown what is the cause of bipolar disorder, which affects around 5.7 million US adults aged 18 or older.
Scientists say genetics could play a role or that those with a a family history of bipolar disorder are more likely to have it.
According to the mother-of-four, Caroline didn’t have a local doctor and would hop between various medical practices because she was ‘so ashamed’ of people reading her files to discover her ongoing mental health troubles.
Christine spoke fondly about her late daughter, remembering her for her ‘happy, funny, brilliant, kind and outgoing’ personality, while noting she endured some ‘terrific down times’ which most people weren’t privy to.
She admitted her daughter was ‘petrified’ of people seeing her ‘dark side’ and thinking she was ‘mental’.
The late TV presenter was facing trial accused of assaulting her former partner Lewis, 28, in December 2019.
However, Caroline strongly denied the charge and had pleaded not guilty to assault by beating at Highbury Corner Magistrates Court on December 23.
She was subsequently axed from hosting Love Island and was swiftly replaced by Laura Whitmore.
Her death was the latest connected to Love Island, following the deaths of contestants Mike Thalassitis, 26, in March 2019 and Sophie Gradon, 32, in June 2018.
Christine called out the ITV dating show for their ‘hypocrisy,’ after firing Caroline over the alleged attack, saying they encouraged rows between couples during their episodes.
Despite her resentment towards the show for their treatment of Caroline, Christine insisted her daughter loved working on the programme at the time and adored the crew and the contestants.
Caroline’s mother also confessed she hasn’t been able to watch the programme since her daughter passed away, because it brings back memories and unwanted emotions.
‘Now, it’s horrible when the advert comes up and the girl that’s taken her place is all in almost the same dress, in almost the same pose,’ Christine added.
In loving memory: Speaking from her Norfolk home, she said: ‘It’s so important to me that Carrie [Caroline] is not tainted by those last few months of her life. It’s tragic’
Bad memories: Caroline’s mother confessed she hasn’t been able to watch the programme since her daughter passed away, ‘Now, it’s horrible when the advert comes up and the girl that’s taken her place is all in almost the same dress, in almost the same pose,’; pictured Laura Whitmore for Love Island 2021
She also said Love Island could have shown greater respect to her daughter and responded differently to her amid news of the alleged incident with Lewis.
MailOnline has contacted Love Island for comment.
After Caroline’s passing, Christine blasted a senior Met Police officer for appealing against the CPS’s decision to give her daughter a caution after her arrest for the alleged attack, despite officers finding her at the crime scene with an injury caused by self-harm.
She accused Detective Inspector Lauren Bateman of treating her more harshly due to her celebrity status.
Candid: Christine spoke fondly about her late daughter, remembering her for her ‘happy, funny, brilliant, kind and outgoing’ personality, while noting she had ‘terrific down times’
DI Bateman previously denied treating the presenter more harshly because she was famous and insisted she ‘wouldn’t do anything differently’ if confronted with the case again today.
Echoing the same sentiments in the interview with The Sun, Christine said the case was ‘so badly handled’ by police and claimed they locked her daughter up for 24 hours after the arrest, while aware she had previously tried to commit suicide.
She said someone else might have been able to survive the public debacle but not Caroline, because her mental health was ‘so very fragile’.
MailOnline has contacted the Met Police for comment.
Before Caroline passed, the presenter endured an onslaught of trolling on social media from trolls who branded her an ‘abuser’ and said she deserved to be sacked from Love Island.
Following, the TV personality’s death prompted an outpouring of sorrow from celebrity friends, colleagues and fans, who referenced one of the former Strictly winner’s social media posts from December in which she urged people to ‘Be Kind’.
Incident: The late TV presenter was facing trial accused of assaulting her former partner Lewis, 28, in December 2019 – and had pleaded not guilty to the charge (pictured in October 2019)
While Christine acknowledged the ‘Be Kind’ movement is great in theory, she doesn’t feel anyone has truly learned anything from it or behaved kinder since her daughter’s death.
Instead she feels many individuals have simply ‘jumped on the bandwagon’ with the social cause.
To stop Caroline from seeing the hateful comments when she was alive, Christine revealed she would have to take her phone away because the presenter was ‘addicted’ to reading the negativity.
No holding back: Christine called out the ITV dating show for their ‘hypocrisy,’ after firing Caroline over the alleged attack, despite promoting rows on the show(pictured this year’s contestants Faye Winter and Teddy Soares)
As a result, she accumulated approximately 20 cell devices in a bid to protect her, despite Caroline immediately going out to buy herself a new one.
Her daughter’s battle with depression presented itself in adolescence when she tried to commit suicide for the first time and was subsequently hospitalised.
Christine admitted her daughter was always ‘fascinated’ by suicide and she feared she would take her own life.
According to the mother-of-four, Caroline experienced bouts of terrifying lows throughout her twenties and thirties and checked into rehab on multiple occasions for treatment.
Despite the attempts at taking her own life, Christine believes her daughter didn’t want to die and loved her life, career and close friends.
Christine said Caroline was passionate about being a good example for younger women and she hopes she is remembered for all of her wonderful attributes.
For help call Samaritans for free on 116 123 or visit www.samaritans.org
RIP: Christine said Caroline was passionate about being a good example for younger women and she hopes she is remembered for all of her wonderful attributes (pictured leaving court with Caroline in 2019)
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