Lawyer: Reality TV Host Takes Own Life Ahead of Trial

Caroline Flack of 'Love Island' fame is dead
By Newser Editors,  Newser Staff
Posted Feb 15, 2020 2:29 PM CST
Reality TV Host Found Dead Ahead of Trial
In this file photo from Dec. 23, 2019, 'Love Island' TV presenter Caroline Flack is escorted by police as she arrives at court in London, after being charged with assault of former professional tennis player and model Lewis Burton.   (AP Photo/Petros Karadjias, FILE)

A popular reality TV host in the UK has been found dead ahead of her trial on charges of assaulting her boyfriend, reports People. Caroline Flack, 40, best known for her stint hosting Love Island, was found in her London apartment. No cause of death has been released, but a family lawyer said Flack committed suicide, reports the AP. In December, police charged Flack with assaulting boyfriend Lewis Burton, described as a model and former professional tennis player. Flack denied the charges, but she stepped down from her role with Love Island, which she had hosted since it began in 2015. It wasn't clear whether the couple was still together—the Guardian notes that Burton posted a Valentine's photo of the couple last week, while Flack posted photos of herself and her dog.

"We can confirm that our Caroline passed away today on the 15th February," says a family statement. "We would ask that the press both respect the privacy of the family at this difficult time." Details about the alleged assault on Burton were scant, but they came after police went to Flack's home on a domestic violence call. Prosecutors alleged Burton sustained a head injury in an altercation, and Flack's trial was due to begin in March. As for the show that made Flack famous: ITV's Love Island deposits young people on a tropical island, but the AP notes that the program has courted controversy in part because two former contestants committed suicide. (More celebrity death stories.)

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