Olly Murs says he is ‘still struggling’ after Caroline Flack’s death: ‘It hurts every day’

Olly Murs with co-presenter Caroline Flack on ITV2's 'The Xtra Factor': Rex Features
Olly Murs with co-presenter Caroline Flack on ITV2's 'The Xtra Factor': Rex Features

Olly Murs has spoken about the death of his friend Caroline Flack, saying he is “still struggling” to come to terms with it.

The singer – who presented The Xtra Factor with Flack for two years before they both fronted one series of The X Factor together in 2015 – said the Love Island star left “a massive hole” after taking her own life in February.

Speaking to Vicky Pattison on her The Secret To podcast, Murs said that his friend’s death “still hurts every day”.

“For Caz not to be here anymore is hard, it’s difficult. It doesn’t get easy. I’m just fortunate that I spent so many great memories with her, I’ve so many amazing times with her that I can look back on, I’m very fortunate that a lot of it was documented,” he said.

“I am still struggling. It hurts every day thinking about what she must have gone through.”

The “Trouble Maker” singer added that he thinks about Flack most days and misses being able to send her a message or speak to her over the phone.

“It’s mad when you do lose someone you care about. We didn’t speak every day, we didn’t message every day, but there is a massive hole in my life without Caz in it. I think about her most days, I think about what she’d be doing on TikTok,” he said.

“I know that goodbyes are not forever. I know I’ll see her again at some point so I look forward to that day.”

Murs also discussed their “special chemistry”, saying people often thought they were in a relationship because they were so close.

“We weren’t together – we never, ever got together, we never pulled each other. We were just always like brother and sister. I’ve never experienced that level of friendship before,” he explained.

Olly Murs and Caroline Flack presented The Xtra Factor together for two years (Getty)
Olly Murs and Caroline Flack presented The Xtra Factor together for two years (Getty)

“It breaks my heart what happened. I love her.”

The Voice judge added that he was comforted by people who had suffered loss through suicide messaging him on social media when the Love Island host passed away.

“It felt like everyone was together and mourning together over Caz,” Murs said.

View this post on Instagram

Caz... 💔😣 fuck this hurts! My heart is forever broken.. I’ve lost something today that I’ll never ever get back.. and that’s you. From the first moment we met in Birmingham 2011 and had literally 10mins to say hello, get mic’d up and head out to work together on Xtra. We never stopped laughing, flirting (who can forget that), eating cheeseburger chasers, singing (which I always loved hearing), the arguments (which I never won), the disagreements on what jokes to say or what outfits you should wear, these are the moments I’ve always cherished but right now as I write this it’s hit me I won’t have them moments again. I haven’t stopped crying since the news, after we stopped working together in 2015 we didn’t see each other as much as we should have but we always spoke on the phone or messaged plus whenever I did see ya out and about, like a sister we’d just kiss and make up and was back being us every single time. I remember messaging you at your toughest time to let you know that I never read or listened to any of the crap people were saying about you, I was just worried about my friend. I always knew how fragile you were but I never ever thought this would be the last contact we would have. We always said we was friends for life and trust me you will be with me forever. My kids will know you, my grandkids will and then I’ll see you again, give you a huge hug, a huge kiss, get mic’d up and have you by my side again. This will hurt forever, love you cazza, Your Ols 💔🙏🏻😖

A post shared by Olly Murs (@ollymurs) on Feb 15, 2020 at 7:47pm PST

“I felt like none of my friends knew what I was going through or how I felt, and when other people were messaging me saying ‘I lost a friend to suicide’ and were telling me stories, it was comforting to hear.”

Flack died on 15 February, with an inquest earlier this month ruling her death a suicide.

The coroner stated that the television star struggled with her mental health and having her case “played out in the national press … was incredibly difficult for her”.

“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,” they said.

The ruling came after Flack’s mother, Chris Flack, accused the CPS of making an example of her daughter due to her “celebrity status” during the inquest.

If you are experiencing feelings of distress and isolation, or are struggling to cope, The Samaritans offers support; you can speak to someone for free over the phone, in confidence, on 116 123 (UK and ROI), email jo@samaritans.org, or visit the Samaritans website to find details of your nearest branch.

For services local to you, the national mental health database – Hub of Hope – allows you to enter your postcode to search for organisations and charities who offer mental health advice and support in your area.

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