Paloma Faith says ‘harsh judgement and abuse’ of famous women ‘has to stop’ following Caroline Flack’s death

Paloma Faith has shared a powerful statement exploring the “dark flip side” of being a woman in the public eye after the death of Caroline Flack.

The former Love Island presenter died last week after taking her own life at the age of 40.

In a lengthy post shared on her Instagram account, Faith opened up about the pressures of life as a woman in the spotlight and urged “the media, the trolls and the people in power” to “take some responsibility for how brutal words can be.”

Revealing that she was writing after “being woken up at 3am” by her young child before heading to the gym and then to “several meetings,” Faith said that she is used to “squeez[ing] time” because “that’s what you have to do if you are a successful woman.”

Adding that “all of our pressures” have been cultivated “to appease the male gaze,” she wrote that Flack’s death had cast a “dark shadow” and that she had seen a “pattern growing” in relation to how women in the public eye are treated.

“The media, the trolls and the people in power both male and female need to take some responsibility for how brutal words can be,” she wrote.

“We give a lot of lip service at the moment to the silence of mental health issues but I don’t see a lot of action. A hashtag is not going to stop this. New laws and personal and collective activity will.”

She added: “I would like you to stop judging others with your patriarchal gaze and start judging yourselves.”

The singer, 38, asked whether “if Caroline was a man she would have been treated in this way,” adding: “Every relationship scrutinised, every outfit, every big night, every foot wrong.

If you are a woman with a successful career with or without children we expect you to suffer, to beg forgiveness for what you have achieved with your every move, not to have an opinion, not to show weakness or rage and to stay in your box.”

“The harsh judgement and abuse of the women in the public eye has got to stop and we need to start thinking about collective responsibility,” she concluded.

Flack's friends, family and fans have shared messages of condolences in the days since her death.

At Tuesday night's Brit Awards, host Jack Whitehall paid tribute to Flack, remembering her as "a kind and vibrant person with an infectious sense of fun.”

"I think I speak for everyone here when I say our thoughts are with her friends and family,” he said.

If you are affected by any of the issues raised in this article, please contact the Samaritans on 116123 (free) or email jo@samaritans.org

Read more

Caroline Flack-inspired 'Be Kind' T-shirt raises £200k for Samaritans

Lewis Burton shares smiling holiday photo of Caroline Flack

Flack's family release unseen message she wrote days before death