'She was kind and vibrant': Brit Awards host Jack Whitehall pays emotional tribute to Caroline Flack
The host of the Brit Awards led the tributes to “kind and vibrant person” Caroline Flack on Tuesday.
The former Love Island presenter was found dead in her east London flat aged 40 at the weekend.
Hosting the prestigious music awards ceremony, comedian Jack Whitehall paid his respects for the late Flack and her relatives, calling her “one of the Brits family.”
Whitehall’s voice was audibly trembling as he said: "She was a kind and vibrant person with an infectious sense of fun. Our thoughts and feelings are with her friends and family.”
Flack’s former boyfriend Harry Styles walked the red carpet wearing a black ribbon on his lapel.
The gesture is believed to be the former One Direction star’s tribute to the late TV presenter.
Read more: Caroline Flack inquest date announced
Styles, 26, dated Flack from November 2011 to January 2012 when she was presenting The X Factor spin-off show The Xtra Factor.
Styles gave an emotional rendition of his ballad Falling, wearing a lace jumpsuit and pearls, and standing amid a pool of water.
As the song came to an end, Styles’ face was cast in shadow but he appeared to wipe away a tear from his eye.
Whitehall previously paid tribute to Flack on Twitter after news broke of her death.
He wrote: “Utterly devastating about Caroline Flack. She was a fun, kind beautiful person, always loved seeing her. So unfair that this has happened. Let’s pray we learn from this and remember to be a little bit more compassionate to people when they are down.”
Utterly devastating about Caroline Flack. She was a fun, kind beautiful person, always loved seeing her. So unfair that this has happened. Let’s pray we learn from this and remember to be a little bit more compassionate to people when they are down.
— Jack Whitehall (@jackwhitehall) February 15, 2020
A lawyer for the Flack family confirmed the TV presenter had died by suicide.
Flack’s family said in a statement: “We can confirm that our Caroline passed away today, the 15th of February.
Read more: Love Island narrator Iain Stirling pays tribute to Caroline Flack
“We would ask that the press respect the privacy of the family at this difficult time and we would ask they make no attempt to contact us and/or photograph us.”
The TV presenter was awaiting trial after pleading not guilty to charges of assault by beating at a hearing last month. She was on bail and her trial was set to begin on March 4.
