Olly Murs has paid an emotional tribute to his former X Factor co-host Caroline Flack following her death at the age of 40.
The Voice star said he hadn’t “stopped crying” since he heard the news that the
Love Island presenter had been found dead at her
London flat on Saturday.
Sharing a picture of them both laughing on Instagram, Olly said his heart was “forever broken”. View this post on InstagramA post shared by Olly Murs (@ollymurs) on Feb 15, 2020 at 7:47pm PST“Fuck this hurts,” he wrote. “My heart is forever broken.. I’ve lost something today that I’ll never ever get back.. and that’s you.
“From the first moment we met in Birmingham 2011 and had literally 10mins to say hello, get mic’d up and head out to work together on Xtra.
“We never stopped laughing, flirting (who can forget that), eating cheeseburger chasers, singing (which I always loved hearing), the arguments (which I never won), the disagreements on what jokes to say or what outfits you should wear, these are the moments I’ve always cherished but right now as I write this it’s hit me I won’t have them moments again.
“I haven’t stopped crying since the news, after we stopped working together in 2015 we didn’t see each other as much as we should have but we always spoke on the phone or messaged plus whenever I did see ya out and about, like a sister we’d just kiss and make up and was back being us every single time.
“I remember messaging you at your toughest time to let you know that I never read or listened to any of the crap people were saying about you, I was just worried about my friend. I always knew how fragile you were but I never ever thought this would be the last contact we would have.
“We always said we was friends for life and trust me you will be with me forever. My kids will know you, my grandkids will and then I’ll see you again, give you a huge hug, a huge kiss, get mic’d up and have you by my side again.
This will hurt forever, love you cazza, Your Ols.”Olly, who found fame on X Factor in 2009, returned to the show to present spin-off, The Xtra Factor alongside Caroline, with the two later presenting the main show for one series in 2015.
Caroline was found dead on Saturday afternoon at her London home after taking her own life.
Her family said in a statement: “We can confirm that our Caroline passed away today on the 15th February.
“We would ask that the press both respect the privacy of the family at this difficult time.”
The presenter recently stepped down from hosting the first ever winter series of Love Island after she was charged with assault following a row with boyfriend Lewis Burton.
She was on bail and awaiting trial due begin on 4 March after pleading not guilty to charges of assault by beating.Ahead of her first court hearing Caroline told fans she was going through the “worst time of her life”.
She wrote on
Instagram at the time: “This is the worst time of my life. I don’t know where to go to. Where to look. Who to trust. Or I even am.”
In the last few weeks, the presenter had been keeping a low profile, revealing she’d been “advised not to go on social media”, and recently returned to the
UK after spending some time out in the States.
She last posted on Instagram on Friday with a collage of snaps with her dog, captioned simply with a love heart emoji.READ MORE: Cheeky, Hilarious And Always Relatable: How I Will Remember The Beautiful Caroline Flack Love Island And Strictly Stars Lead Tributes To Caroline Flack Following Her Death, Aged 40 Caroline Flack’s Love Island Stand-In Laura Whitmore Shares Heartbreaking Message Following Presenter’s Death Useful websites and helplines:Mind, open Monday to Friday, 9am-6pm on 0300 123 3393Samaritans offers a listening service which is open 24 hours a day, on 116 123 (UK and ROI - this number is FREE to call and will not appear on your phone bill.)The Mix is a free support service for people under 25. Call 0808 808 4994 or email: help@themix.org.ukRethink Mental Illness offers practical help through its advice line which can be reached on 0300 5000 927 (open Monday to Friday 10am-4pm). More info can be found on www.rethink.org.