Harry Styles’ poignant way of remembering ‘first big love’ Caroline Flack
Harry Styles and Caroline Flack fell head over heels for each other on The X Factor, and while their romance ended, his care and respect for the late star never did
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When Harry Styles got through to the X Factor finals with One Direction in 2010 he had his eyes on the prize – as well as on the vivacious host of its sister show, The Xtra Factor.
That host was Caroline Flack and Harry had been harbouring a huge crush her for months before even signing up to the singing contest.
He described Caroline as ‘gorgeous’ and apparently showed his devotion with flirty texts and messages on Twitter.
In August 2011 he told the official X Factor website: “If Caroline Flack is reading this, say ‘Hi’ from me. She is gorgeous!”
The smitten singer even got his friend Tim Dean – a producer on Xtra Factor – to send Tweets to Caroline in a bid to persuade her to date him.
According to reports, Harry’s dream finally came true when he came clean to Caroline about his feelings at an X Factor party at the W Hotel in London that October.
With a spring in his step and Caroline on his arm, Harry, 26, sweetly took to social media to gush: “Sometimes things happen and you suddenly get a whole new outlook on life.”
Things quickly turned serious, with Harry taking Caroline home to Holmes Chapel to meet his mum Anne Twist – who was a big fan. Meanwhile, he reportedly met the Flack family who ‘fully approved’ of their relationship.
Caroline’s twin sister Jody was even seen dropping Harry off at King’s Cross station so he could catch the train to a gig in Sheffield.
But when Caroline apparently cooled things just before Christmas, Harry was said to have been devastated.
“He loves spending time with her – he’s fallen for her really hard. He’d fancied her for months before they got together and now he’s turned into a real romantic,” one of his mates told Now magazine.
“She’s his first big relationship.”
The couple reunited in January 2012, and when Caroline came under fire from Harry’s ardent fans, he hit back on Twitter.
“People should think more before they tweet stuff. Never explain, never complain,” he wrote.
And when Caroline became upset, she revealed how Harry told her: “Don’t listen to Twitter.”
She added: “He became the mature one at that point.”
Harry gushed that they were ‘really happy together’, but their three-month fling came to an end by mutual agreement weeks later ahead of One Direction’s first tour of the States.
At the time, a source told The Mirror: “Harry is being realistic about the whole thing.
“He’s going off to America in a couple of days and he wants to be able to commit fully to making the band a success in the States.
“They’ll be back for the Brits, but all in all they’ll be away for two months.”
The source added: “Caroline confided in pals about the split, confirming it’s over. She is upset, but they are still on good terms.”
And as the Directioners once again jumped on the bandwagon, claiming Harry had been the one to pull the plug, he defended the TV star in a chivalrous post.
“Please know I didn’t ‘dump’ Caroline. This was a mutual decision,” he raged, tenderly adding: “She is one of the kindest, sweetest people I know. Please respect that.”
Meanwhile, in the days following Caroline’s tragic suicide on February 15 this year, the internet was flooded with emotional tributes from heartbroken co-stars and celebrities.
But Harry remained silent, choosing instead to express his grief for the ex he was so protective of with a powerful message at the BRIT Awards.
Rather than give a statement, Harry wore a single black ribbon to signify remembrance or mourning for Caroline, who was 40 when she died.
He later performed wearing a badge by his heart that read ‘treat people with kindness’ – a message Caroline herself had shared last December.
And Harry’s devastated mum Anne Twist – who is said to have been close to Caroline – shared a poignant poem dedicated to her son’s former love.
“How lonely must you feel, to think that must be done, to feel there is no love to support you through,” the poem began.
“How must your heart ache, To feel so all alone, The public face; the private face Both vulnerable.
“The mask we all wear, Outside where skies are open, In view of others eyes, Opinions words and cruelty.
“Unmasked and alone, Black hole surrounds, No shoulder or heart, Enough to take the pain away.”
Caroline died one day after learning she would be forced to stand trial for allegedly assaulting boyfriend Lewis Burton in a late night incident – claims she denied.
Caroline’s family later released one of her unpublished Instagram messages in which she denied being a ‘domestic abuser’ and revealed she had been struggling with her mental health.
“I have always taken responsibility for what happened that night. Even on the night. But the truth is… It was an accident,” Caroline wrote.
“I’ve been having some sort of emotional breakdown for a very long time.
“But I am NOT a domestic abuser. We had an argument and an accident happened. An accident.
“The blood that someone SOLD to a newspaper was MY blood and that was something very sad and very personal.”
An inquest into Caroline’s death today ruled she died by suicide after “an exacerbation of fluctuating ill health and distress” which worsened when her prosecution was confirmed.
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