Caroline Flack left handwritten note to boyfriend Lewis Burton on day of her death
The inquest into Caroline Flack’s death has resumed today at Poplar Coroner’s Court in London. The TV presenter died in February at the age of 40
Video Loading
Click to play
Tap to play
The video will start in 8Cancel
The inquest into Caroline Flack ‘s death has resumed today six months after she took her own life at her flat in London and it’s been revealed she left a note for her boyfriend Lewis Burton.
The Love Island host’s cause of death was given as suicide by hanging when the inquest opened back in February.
The probe is continuing with a hearing at Poplar Coroner’s Court in London before Senior Coroner Mary Hassell, and Caroline’s family are attending via video link.
Caroline’s mother Christine and sister Jody are watching the proceedings via Zoom.
Lawyers representing the Crown Prosecution Service, Metropolitan Police and London Ambulance Service also watching the proceedings online.
Witnesses will also be connecting remotely to give their testimony.
The first witness statement was that of Stephen Teasdale, father of Flack’s friend Louise, who said he went to the scene after Flack’s sister Jody phoned to say she could not get in to Flack’s address.
If you are affected by this story there are many people who would be happy to talk to you:
Samaritans
If you need to talk and don’t know where to turn to, the Samaritans operate a free helpline open 24/7 on 116 123. Alternatively you can email [email protected] or visit the website to find your local branch.
SANEline
If you or somebody you know is experiencing a mental health problem, SANEline’s helpline is open between 4.30pm and 10.30pm every day on 0300 304 7000.
Mind
The mental health charity Mind has resources aimed at helping you cope with and plan for a crisis. Visit their website for details on helplines, how to access crisis services and what to do if you’re unable to get help yourself.
– In an emergency, dial 999 for urgent help
He said: “We came to the flat and tried to force entry. We thought about phoning the police but knew the landlady … We got the key and let ourselves into the flat.”
Mr Teasdale said he found Flack’s lifeless body, hanged.
He said: “I brought her (down) and Jody started CPR. We were giving CPR for somewhere between five and ten minutes, then the police took over.”
Paramedic David O’Toole said he entered the property later and saw two women distraught on a sofa.
He said the victim appeared to have been “dead for a number of hours”.
He said the women said they last saw her alive at 10.30am that day.
One of the crew pointed to a handwritten note placed on an open magazine on the coffee table.
It referenced, positively, “Lewis”, believed to be Flack’s boyfriend Lewis Burton.
The note stated: “I hope one day me and Lewis can find harmony.”
In his witness statement, paramedic David O’Toole explained that when he entered the flat he found two women sitting on the sofa looking “extremely distressed” and police officers were performing CPR.
He added: “My first impression was that she had been dead for a number of hours.”
The court heard no alcohol was found in Caroline’s system. She had been taking a drug to treat insomnia but levels were not fatal and a post-mortem examination found no signs of assault on her body.
A witness statement from Dr Tamsin Lewis, a psychiatrist who treated Caroline, was presented to the court.
She said she was contacted by Caroline’s assistant on Dec 17 2019 – after the star’s row with Burton that led to her arrest.
Dr Lewis said the star was in the middle of a “media crisis” and “could not sleep”.
She was “incredibly distressed” and explained she had damaged her finger in a fight with her boyfriend.
She said it was nothing more than a “lover’s tiff” but was concerned about the “media storm”.
Dr Lewis added: “”Her mood appeared low, anxious” and Caroline said she said she was “very worried” and had a racing heart and tight chest and a “sense of impending doom”.
She did not admit to suicidal thoughts but admitted drinking excessively to “numb herself”
Dr Lewis prescribed sleeping tablets and antibiotics for finger injury.
In his witness statement, Burton, explained Caroline had talked about suicide and was “not in a good place emotionally”.
He said: “The last time he saw Caroline she was very upset, in fact devastated, she was not in a good place emotionally…
“What was worrying her most was the police case and losing her presenting job on Love Island, plus not being able to see me.”
When the inquest opened earlier this year, Coroner’s Officer Sandra Polson said the star had “apparently been found hanging” on February 15, while an autopsy said the provisional cause of death was suspension by ligature.
Poplar Coroner’s Court previously heard how Caroline’s body was identified by her twin sister Jody Flack, who had been due to visit her that day.
The former Love Island host, 40, took her own life at her flat in Stoke Newington, north-east London on February 15 days after learning her trial over an alleged attack on boyfriend Lewis Burton was going ahead.
She was charged with assault by beating after a row at her London flat with Burton.
Caroline pleaded not guilty and her boyfriend always maintained her innocence, while her family slammed prosecutors for pursuing the case against the star – calling it a “show trial”.
She stepped down from hosting Love Island, and in an unpublished Instagram post released by her family after her death Caroline said her “whole world and future was swept from under my feet” after her arrest.
In the aftermath of the tragedy, the Crown Prosecution Service said in a statement: “Our thoughts remain with the family and friends of Caroline Flack.
“It is normal practice for prosecutors to hold a debriefing in complex or sensitive cases after they have ended.
“This has taken place and found that the case was handled appropriately and in line with our published legal guidance.”
MirrorCeleb