Caroline Flack Documentary: All the Heartbreaking Revelations

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Content warning: This story discusses suicide, self-harm and allegations of domestic violence.

Caroline Flack‘s family and friends are sharing her story.

The documentary Caroline Flack: Search for the Truth features interviews with those closest to the Love Island U.K. host, revealing the truth about a domestic incident with her boyfriend, Lewis Burton, in December 2019. The film shows how intense media coverage of the allegations against Flack, who was 40 years old, contributed to her suicide months later.

In a new documentary released November 10th on Disney+ and Hulu, Caroline Flack’s mother, Christine, said she wants people to remember the true Caroline, not the one the media often showed.

When Caroline passed away, she was in court facing an assault charge. Prosecutors alleged that she had hit Lewis over the head with a lamp during a fight at her home in London.

I’ve followed Caroline’s story for years, and it broke my heart to see how the tabloids attacked her. She always maintained her innocence regarding the incident, and even though Lewis didn’t publicly discuss it or participate in that documentary, the media just relentlessly painted her in a terrible light. It really seemed to make her existing struggles with mental health so much worse. It was a truly awful time for everyone involved.

My daughter’s reaction was far too extreme for what actually occurred that night,” Christine explained. “The consequences she faced didn’t match the potential danger to her health at all.

According to Christine, Caroline felt trapped and hopeless due to constant harassment from the paparazzi, harsh online criticism, and the possibility of going to jail. She felt there was no escape.

What really struck me was imagining how much pain she must have been in to do what she did,” the older woman said. “It’s important to remember that experiencing depression or any mental health challenge doesn’t make you odd or different—it just means you’re human.

She admitted it sounds cliché to say ‘Be kind,’ but emphasized that even though it’s a simple phrase, it carries a powerful message. She believes that if everyone followed that advice, the world would be a better place.

For more from Caroline Flack: Search for the Truth, read on.

The documentary Caroline Flack: Search for the Truth investigates the events leading up to the death of television presenter Caroline Flack, who tragically took her own life in 2020. Her friends and family examine what occurred at her London home on December 12, 2019, after she was accused of assaulting her boyfriend, Lewis Burton.

While the prosecution claimed Caroline attacked Lewis, hitting him with a lamp during a fight and causing a violent and bloody scene, a police report obtained by her mother, Christine Flack, told a different story.

In the documentary, Christine read from the police report, stating, “It’s still unknown what exactly was used to attack Mr. Burton.” He originally told officers he thought it might have been a desk fan or a lamp, but later admitted, ‘I don’t know what it was.’

According to the police report Christine reviewed, Caroline’s phone was covered in blood and had a cracked corner, leading investigators to believe it might have been used as a weapon.

Before she passed away, Caroline insisted she had hit Lewis while holding her phone. Lewis, for his part, continued to deny being struck with a lamp.

The blood discovered in Caroline’s apartment was confirmed by her loved ones to be from a suicide attempt she made while Lewis was present.

After what happened, Caroline told her friend Mollie Grosberg that she felt like her life was over – her career was finished and her boyfriend had left her. Mollie recalled Caroline saying she’d cut her wrist with broken glass, wanting to end her life and escape the pain.

Christine said Caroline’s injuries were serious enough that she needed plastic surgery to fix them.

Christine explained that prosecutors originally intended to issue Caroline a simple legal notice because she had no prior record of domestic abuse and Lewis didn’t want to pursue the case. However, a detective with the London Metropolitan Police intervened and requested further action.

As a longtime follower of this case, I was really concerned to learn from the Independent Office for Police Conduct’s investigation that the detective seemed to have made some serious errors. Apparently, she didn’t use the right standards when deciding whether to pursue charges against Caroline, and she also didn’t document her reasons for questioning the Crown Prosecution Service’s initial decision – which is a huge problem in my opinion. It just feels like things weren’t handled correctly, and this report really highlights those issues.

My daughter died due to a mistake made by the police,” Christine explained. “I simply want them to acknowledge that pursuing charges against Caroline was a mistake.

A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police stated that they understand the concerns of Caroline’s family and friends regarding the events leading up to her death, including the police investigation. They’ve cooperated with multiple independent reviews and an inquest, and while they’ve identified areas for improvement in their procedures, no wrongdoing by officers has been found.

People close to Caroline think she was wrongly accused of a crime because officials wanted to appear strong on domestic violence.

According to her lawyer, Paul Morris, Caroline Flack wasn’t being prosecuted for her actions, or lack thereof, but simply because of who she was – a public figure named Caroline Flack.

In the documentary, Christine explained that Carrie ultimately faced a very minor charge. However, she felt the punishment was far too severe considering both what actually happened and the serious impact it had on Carrie’s well-being.

A representative for the Crown Prosecution Service stated that the individual’s public profile had no bearing on the decision-making process. The CPS informed producers that all choices regarding the case were based on the medical advice they had at the time, and that a person’s fame doesn’t affect whether or not a case is pursued. They confirmed they were confident the prosecution was handled appropriately.

According to Christine, Caroline harmed herself by cutting her arms when she was younger.

The family member explained that she had taken medication and required hospitalization, describing it as a very serious situation. A doctor suggested she might have bipolar disorder, then known as manic depression, but she refused to accept the diagnosis. She didn’t want to be labeled with a mental health condition and the family kept it a secret.

Caroline’s friends reported that she attempted self-harm the night before a court hearing in December 2019 regarding her assault case. According to Mollie, Caroline consumed all the alcohol from the hotel minibar and took any prescription pills she found in her room.

On January 1, 2020, The Sun newspaper published a photo taken inside her apartment the night of the incident involving Lewis. Lewis initially denied the blood shown in the photo was his, stating on Instagram, “This blood isn’t mine and I wasn’t hit with a lamp.”

As a longtime supporter of Caroline, it was heartbreaking to watch the documentary. Her friends and family explained that the blood shown in that awful photo came from self-inflicted wounds, and her agent, Louise Booth, said Caroline was deeply upset by the leak – understandably, because she was so embarrassed. It just reinforced how much pain she was in.

The newspaper stood by its choice to publish the photo. A spokesperson for The Sun explained to producers that Caroline Flack was a famous TV personality, and even though it’s now understood that pressing charges against her wasn’t in the public’s best interest, reporting on the charges themselves was newsworthy and received a lot of attention from the media.

The representative explained that the story went through a thorough legal review before it was published. They also highlighted statements made during the court hearing, including Mr. Burton’s testimony that Ms. Flack did not strike him with a lamp.

The day before Caroline was found dead after taking her own life, The Sun newspaper published a story about a Valentine’s Day card that made fun of the claim she had attacked Lewis with a lamp. Christine remembered how Caroline had reacted to seeing the article.

It just broke my heart hearing Christine talk about everything she’s been through. That awful lie about the lamp – the one the prosecutor brought up – was already bad enough, but then The Sun decided to reprint it, spreading it around for everyone to see! It wasn’t reporting, it was just cruel bullying, and honestly, it felt like they were deliberately trying to destroy her.

A spokesperson for the tabloid said the article was published to draw attention to a Valentine’s Day card that The Sun described as “cruel” and “brutal.” The card was reportedly being sold to make fun of Caroline before her court case.

The spokesperson explained that the story was removed following Caroline’s death to prevent additional upset.

Caroline tragically took her own life on February 15, 2020. In a note, she expressed a wish for the legal case involving her and Lewis to be resolved and for them to find peace.

Speaking about her daughter’s death, Christine explained that her daughter felt trapped and saw no other options, which she described as a terrible feeling.

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2025-11-12 02:52