Laura Whitmore: I'll never be okay with Caroline Flack's death

Albertina Lloyd
·Contributor
Updated ·2 min read
Laura Whitmore poses for photographers upon arrival at Brit Awards 2020 in London, Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2020.(Photo by Vianney Le Caer/Invision/AP)
Laura Whitmore was friends with the late Caroline Flack before she replaced her on Love Island. (AP)

Laura Whitmore has admitted she will never be okay with Caroline Flack’s death.

Flack tragically took her own life aged 40 in February 2020. The 34-year-old TV presenter confessed seeing her friend’s life collapse under the pressure of fame had left her frightened.

Whitmore told Cosmopolitan UK magazine: "It'll never be okay and it'll never be right. It did scare me.

"She was so strong-willed and feisty and I remember thinking, 'God, I wish I could be as strong as her'. I felt like if people said things, it wouldn't bother her. But obviously it did because everyone is human.

(EMBARGOED FOR PUBLICATION IN UK TABLOID NEWSPAPERS UNTIL 48 HOURS AFTER CREATE DATE AND TIME. MANDATORY CREDIT PHOTO BY DAVE M. BENETT/GETTY IMAGES REQUIRED) attends the Rita Ora aftershow party with Red Bull Editions at Mahiki London on February 6, 2013 in London, England.
Caroline Flack and Laura Whitmore at the Rita Ora aftershow party at Mahiki London 2013. (Getty Images)

"I don't want to speculate reasons because nobody will ever know. [But] it did frighten me."

She added: “I hope now that people have had an insight into what she had to deal with.”

Read more: Caroline Flack's death was unbelievably tragic, says ITV boss

Flack’s death followed continued media attention on her life and she faced a trial after being charged with assaulting her boyfriend Lewis Burton, although he did not want the prosecution to go ahead.

Whitmore had taken her place as the host of ITV’s Love Island after Flack stepped down amid the public scrutiny on her personal life. The Irish presenter is dating Love Island’s narrator Iain Stirling, 32.

LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 07: Iain Stirling and Laura Whitmore attend day six of the Wimbledon Tennis Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 7, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Karwai Tang/WireImage )
Iain Stirling and Laura Whitmore have been dating since 2017. (Getty Images)

She said: "Obviously you're delighted that ITV trust you to do such a big show, but a friend of yours is also going through hell... Caroline had messaged me first to say, 'I hope you get it', which was really nice.

Read more: 'I still message Caroline Flack’: Scarlett Moffatt reveals

"You're like, 'Oh yay, I get to do this but, no, this isn't how I want to get to do it. It was a really weird way to get a job."

For confidential emotional support at times of distress, contact The Samaritans at any time by calling 116 123 or emailing jo@samaritans.org.

Listen to Laura Whitmore talking to Kate Thornton about the perils of life in the spotlight on Yahoo’s White Wine Question Time podcast below.