The Flack family are having to come to terms with the passing of Caroline’s brother Paul, following her own death in 2020. We take a look back at the star’s childhood with her three siblings, growing up together in Norfolk
Caroline Flack and her brother Paul(Image: Instagram)
Caroline Flack‘s family have been dealt another devastating blow with the death of her beloved older brother Paul, six years after she took her own life.
Paul, 55, was found unresponsive at his home in Norwich. Despite attempts to save his life, he died at the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital. The graphic designer and artist died just days after his birthday and is survived by his partner and their two children.
Paul’s final Instagram post, shared in June 2020, was a tribute to his TV star sister, who died that year: “This will be my last post here,” he said at the time. “May those who know feel shame for eternity. Love you Caroline.”
The Flacks are a close unit, making the news of Paul’s death all the more shattering. Caroline was one of four siblings born to Christine and Ian Flack; as well as big brother Paul, she has an older sister, Elizabeth (Lizzie), and a twin sister named Jody.
Prior to her untimely death, she spoke about her idyllic childhood, growing up with her brother and sisters. Caroline was born in North London, but when she was young the family relocated to Norfolk. Dad Ian had been working for Coca-Cola in Essex – but when a managerial job came up in the east of England, it was too good an opportunity to pass up.
They first lived in the countryside near Great Thetford, then Great Hockham, and later in the nearby village of East Wretham. “Our house backed onto fields and, unless there was a moon, you could see nothing beyond the back fence,” Caroline recalled of Great Thetford in her autobiography Storm in a C Cup.
“We had a pond and a climbing frame, as well as the chickens and a rabbit called Boris because our big sister was in love with Boris Becker.”
Thetford held especially happy memories for Caroline, and she spoke fondly of walking in the forest there with her sister and her father.
“Our favourite [route] was ‘No. 83’ mainly because it had a pond at the end where you could catch tadpoles, and at the right time of year we’d bring them back in jam jars and transfer them to our own pond.”
Caroline and her twin sister Jody were both keen performers and members of the East Wretham drama society, where they performed a pantomime every year in the village hall.
In 1990, when she was ten-years-old, Caroline started Wayland High School in Watton. “Going to Wayland had been a shock, we had really led a very sheltered life up until then,” she said. “All the cool kids used to hang out after school on ‘the Green’ which was in the middle of the fifties’ council estate just off Watton High Street. The Green was where everything happened, where they’d all be smoking and drinking.”
Because she lived further away from the school than her friends, Caroline found an unusual way to stay in touch.
“We would call in to Norwich Radio – Broadland FM – Late Night Love,” she continued. “Jo and me and all our school friends used to listen when we went to bed because that’s the only way we could communicate. We had this little portable with an aerial that you pulled out and we’d put it by the window to get reception. The DJ would go, ‘I’ve got a request here from Caroline; she’s asked for Mariah Carey for Sue, Jackie, Heidi, Sarah, Carla and Jody. That was the full extent of our social life.”
At just 16, Caroline left home to attend the Bodyworks theatre school in Cambridge. After graduating, she took on a number of different jobs – including working in a pork processing factory, waitressing and being a magician’s assistant.
She spent her twenties sofa-surfing in London, auditioning for commercials and starred in Danny Dyer’s film Is Harry In The Boat? But in 2002, she got her big break thanks to a role in Bo Selecta.
Presenting roles soon followed, including Big Brother‘s Big Mouth, Sky1’s Gladiators and ITV2’s I’m a Celebrity. Then, in 2014, her career skyrocketed after she won Strictly Come Dancing, and the following year she Started presenting The X Factor, along with Olly Murs.
Caroline began presenting ITV2’s Love Island in 2015 and was a huge hit with viewers. She hosted the show right until her resignation in December 2019 after being arrested over claims that she had assaulted her boyfriend, Lewis Burton. She denied the allegations.
The TV star was banned from contacting Lewis, who had supported her throughout the investigation and said he did not press charges, before a planned trial in March 2021.
But on 15 February 2020, Caroline was found dead in her flat, in Stoke Newington, London. She was 40 years old. Her private funeral took place in Greenacres Memorial Park near Norwich on 10 March 2020.
Meanwhile, Paul, 55, made his final TV appearance back in November 2025, where he opened up about losing his sister to suicide. He featured in the documentary Caroline Flack: Search for the Truth, alongside mum Christine and surviving sisters Jody and Elizabeth.
During the first episode of the two-part series, the Flack family come together to visit a bench dedicated to Caroline.
In the moving scene, Christine reveals her hopes to spread the truth about what really happened in the months before Caroline took her own life. Paul then asks his family: “What’s the first thing you think of when you wake up in the morning?” He added, “Probably the same as me.”
The organisers of Flackstock, a festival set up to promote mental health awareness in memory of Caroline, have since paid tribute to Paul, describing him as “funny kind and loving” in a statement.
The message posted to Instagram on Tuesday said: “We are beyond heartbroken by Paul Flack’s passing. We loved Paul so deeply, and this news has shattered us all. Paul was funny, kind and loving. He gave the best hugs and had the most brilliant laugh. We will miss him so much.
“Flackstock exists as a festival to give people hope. To remember those who have been lost, and to hold a hand out to anyone who is struggling.
“This news is hard to hear and hard to share. Right now, our focus is supporting the Flack family however we can, so please bear with us while we grieve someone we loved so very, very much. Please take care of each other, and be kind.”
For mental health support, contact the Samaritans on 116 123, email them at jo@samaritans.org or visit samaritans.org to find your nearest branch.
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