Caroline Flack’s friend ‘only saw the best’ of her as he opens up on tragic death
EXCLUSIVE: Caroline Flack's friend Leigh Francis has spoken out about her tragic death four years ago.
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Leigh Francis, best known as his alter ego Keith Lemon, has admitted no one saw Caroline Flack's tragic death coming. The Celebrity Juice star was good friends with the Love Island host and knew her before she found fame.
Speaking exclusively to Express.co.uk in advance of the release of his memoir, Leigh ruminated: “Anyone who knew Caroline would have never seen it happening.
"Her sister may have seen it, I don't know. Because she would be more open to her about any problems she had in the media. But me as a friend - we all put on a front in front of our friends don't we?
"We show the best side to ourselves, our friends most of the time. I only saw the best side of Caroline, and I knew her before she was a famous person - this girl that laughed a lot
"Near the end, it was different but I still didn't expect what happened," he confessed. "Still to this day I think she's on holiday somewhere."
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Leigh writes about Caroline in his upcoming memoir Leigh, Myself and I, recalling her as a "sprite of joy".
"Caroline was savaged by social media and the press. I always just knew her as Little Flack. She was a lovely sprite of joy.
"Whenever I walked into a room and heard her laughter, it would bring a lovely sense of familiarity and glee. I knew the evening was going to be fun; I had a friend there."
Caroline, who was 40, took her own life at her flat in east London in February 2020She had stepped down from her Love Island job following claims she assaulted her boyfriend, which she denied.
At the time of her death her parents and three siblings, including twin sister Jody, released a statement. “We can confirm that our Caroline passed away today on the 15th February,” they said.
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Her management said everyone was devastated at her death and criticised the Crown Prosecution Service for pressing ahead with her “show trial” for assualt.
In a statement, Francis Ridley of Money Talent Management, said: “The Crown Prosecution Service pursued this when they knew not only how very vulnerable Caroline was but also that the alleged victim did not support the prosecution and had disputed the CPS version of events.
“The CPS should look at themselves today and how they pursued a show trial that was not only without merit but not in the public interest. And ultimately resulted in significant distress to Caroline.”
Leigh, Myself and I by Leigh Francis is published on September 12 by HarperNonFiction, for £22.
