Love Island: Controversy around Caroline Flack's death explained 

Love Island, the British reality dating show that started in 2015, has been one of the most popular dating shows since its inception. Its growing audience is one of the reasons why the series has multiple regional spin-offs, including an American and Australian version. While, for the most part, the show has always been in the news positively, in 2020, things were a little different.

At the time, the show was being hosted by Caroline Flack, who passed away by suicide. The English television personality, who had been hosting the show since its inception, was in the middle of an alleged assault lawsuit against her boyfriend and passed away while awaiting trial.

Due to the lawsuit and the charges against her, Caroline was receiving online trolling and backlash from everywhere. However, her death caused an uproar. Mental health organizations blamed the British press and the Crown Prosecution Service for her demise, as per CNN Business. It further started a conversation about the relationship between television personalities and the media.

Honey Langcaster-James, a TV psychologist who worked with cast members of Love Island as a welfare consultant, chimed in about her death. She told CNN,

"When we experience the tragic loss of someone, we often look around for someone to point the finger at. We get consumed when someone dies in these circumstances by the question of why, and of what could have been done… but the important thing is we don’t speculate."

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Love Island host Caroline Flack was charged with Assault

On December 13, 2019, Love Island personality Caroline Flack was charged with "assault by beating." As per London's Metropolitan Police, the incident took place on Thursday, December 12, 2019, when a man was reported to have been assaulted.

Later, a spokesperson from the London Ambulance Service confirmed to People Magazine that they were called to the residential property in Islington, where they treated two people at the scene while one required to be taken to the hospital.

According to BBC News, the inquest was based on the British reality television star's admission of guilt for allegedly striking her boyfriend, Lewis Burton. At the same time, he slept because she suspected that he was cheating on her. According to the publication, the television celebrity told the police that she hit him.

However, during a public interview, she said that she flicked him to "wake him up" but did not believe that she caused him to be injured. Department Inspector Bateman stated that, at the time, according to them, it wasn't a "clear admission of what had happened."

Caroline Flack died by suicide while the proceedings were ongoing. Her mother blamed the police for her death, claiming that there was "no real evidence" and that they couldn't have been bothered if it was an "ordinary person."

"You should be disgusted with yourself. That girl killed herself because you put an appeal through."

After the host was charged, several publications reported the incident while roasting the reality show member. The Daily Star called her "Caroline Smack," while The Sun did a story about a "brutal Valentine's Day card," which mocked the case. While the public supported the witch hunt at the time, sentiments changed when she died by suicide.

Laura Whitemore, who replaced her as the host of Love Island, spoke about Flack on her radio show on the day of her death.

"She lived every mistake publicly under the scrutiny of the media. To the press who demonize and tear down success: we’ve had enough."

Fans compared the situation to the coverage of Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, described in depth in Netflix's Harry & Meghan.

Hacked Off's policy director, Nathan Sparks, also spoke to CNN about the controversy and noted that they welcome the "public outcry for change." They said that what happened with Caroline would happen to "vulnerable people" repeatedly unless the government acted upon it.

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Love Island has been on air since 2015, and episodes of all seasons are available to stream on ITV.