‘She had a lot of insecurities’: Kristina Rihanoff claims Caroline Flack had been struggling with ‘demons’ and had missed shows on the Strictly tour while ‘battling inner conflict’
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Strictly pro-dancer Kristina Rihanoff has revealed close friend Caroline Flack had been struggling with ‘demons’ behind the camera.
Speaking on Good Morning Britain on Monday, the Strictly Come Dancing star said the pair shared intimate conversations after becoming ‘close’ during Caroline’s time on the BBC show and tour in 2015.
Kristina recalled how the 40-year-old presenter had ‘a lot of insecurities’ behind her ‘beautiful smile’ that were not obvious to the public.
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Time on Strictly: Kristina Rihanoff (right) shared a tribute to Caroline flack (left) to Twitter:’So tragic How utterly alone hopeless one must feel to take their own life.’
She said: ‘ During our work on the road there were many conversations and a couple of times she missed going on stage because she was battling inner conflict.
‘We sat down and spoke and you could see she had a lot of insecurities, a lot of vulnerability, which I think wasn’t known to the public.
‘There should have been a life coach or someone who could have really helped.
Remembering Caroline Flack: Strictly pro-dancer Kristina Rihanoff tells Good Morning Britain how her friend Caroline Flack had been struggling with ‘demons’ behind the camera
Strictly Come Dancing Pals: Good Morning Britain shared a snap of the star out for drinks with her friends from the show
‘It’s so sad to see she had no way out and she couldn’t see a way out. It’s heartbreaking for her family and for herself.’
The dancer said that she was heartbroken over the death of the Love Island presenter, who took her own life at her flat in Stoke Newington, north east London, on Saturday.
Flack’s boyfriend says his ‘heart is broken’
Caroline Flack’s boyfriend yesterday said he was ‘heartbroken’.
Lewis Burton said that he will be Miss Flack’s ‘voice’ in the wake of her death and would strive to ‘get the answers’ she now cannot get for herself.
The 27-year-old was ordered by a judge to have no contact with his girlfriend, who was accused of assaulting him in December, ahead of her trial on March 4. He asked the CPS not to press charges.
‘My heart is broken, we had something so special,’ he wrote in a social media post, which accompanied a photo of the pair cuddling on holiday.
He added: ‘I know you felt safe with me and I was not allowed to be there this time, I kept asking and asking.
‘I will ask the questions you wanted. Nothing will bring you back but I will try to make you proud every day.’
The pair had been dating since last summer when they were spotted in Ibiza. He posted a loving Instagram message to his other half on Valentine’s Day, hours before she took her own life.
Kristina spoke of how she had hoped that someone would help ‘sweet’ Caroline when she met her three years ago – adding that everyone at Strictly had loved working with her.
The dancer added: ‘We all knew her beautiful smile but behind closed doors, there were a lot of demons.’
Caroline was taking anti-depressants as she battled mental health problems and was terrified of the prospect of her upcoming trial.
It has also been claimed by sources close to Caroline’s legal team that the Crown Prosecution Service initially decided not to charge her with assault, but senior police officers pressed for a charging decision, according to The Sun.
The CPS declined to comment on the claims today, while a Metropolitan Police spokesman said: ‘The MPS, in line with policing nationally, follows the College of Policing’s APP (authorised professional practice) relating to domestic abuse cases. The APP was followed in this matter. We are not discussing further.’
It was claimed yesterday paramedics had been sent to her home the day before she was found dead, following fears for her welfare, but she was not taken to hospital.
The distraught TV presenter was understood to be horrified by the prospect of a ‘show trial’ over an alleged assault on her boyfriend and was worried she could not cope with the fallout.
Allegation: Caroline was accused of attacking her boyfriend Lewis Burton, 27, pictured together
Old times: Caroline is pictured in an Instagram post in June 2019. The star had spoken publicly about her battle with depression and panic attacks, which began after she won Strictly in 2014
Friends said she was tormented over the idea of a jury being shown police ‘bodycam’ footage taken during the night she was accused of attacking Lewis Burton, 27. She had hoped the trial would not go ahead.
A court had heard police found the pair covered in blood and that Caroline had cuts to her wrist.
The revelations about her mental health prompted questions about whether she was given enough help to tackle her depression and panic attacks.
Charged: Caroline leaves Highbury Corner Magistrates’ Court in North London on December 23 last year
Police last night refused to reveal if they had referred the star to mental health services.
As stars paid tribute to the Love Island presenter, friends asked if prosecutors, medical professionals and her former bosses at ITV had missed chances to save her.
ITV cancelled scheduled Love Island episodes over the weekend but said the show would return tonight with a tribute to Caroline, who presented five series’ before stepping back following her arrest.
Tragic: The presenter died at her home in Stoke Newington, East London, on Saturday. A police van is pictured outside the property
Devastated: Floral tributes placed outside Caroline’s former home in Islington, North London, today which she put up for sale last year
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