Lady Victoria Hervey has criticised ITV insisting the broadcaster’s treatment of the late Caroline Flack was unacceptable.
The one-time ‘Celebrity Love Island’ star insists bosses should have supported 40-year-old presenter – who took her own life on Saturday (15.02.20) – and kept her as the host of ‘Love Island’ following her arrest and her being charged for an alleged assault on her boyfriend Lewis Burton at her home in December 2019.
Caroline decided to take a step back from her job hosting ‘Love Island’ over concerns the incident would detract attention from the current series, but Lady Victoria is adamant ITV bosses should never have let her done so.
Speaking to the Daily Mail newspaper at the launch of her accessories line Hervey Henshall, she said: "I was shocked to hear she killed herself. I don’t think she should have stepped down right after the incident with her boyfriend. That was possibly wrong, if she was that unstable. Clearly, she was not a stable person. They must have known that.
"She was very nice, but it’s often really hyper people that are closeted depressed."
The 43-year-old socialite appeared on screen in 2006 on the original celebrity edition of ‘Love Island’, which has been hosted by Caroline since 2015.
Laura Whitmore was then chosen to present the first-ever winter series this year following Caroline’s departure.
Despite Lady Victoria’s claims, ITV issued a statement saying they were constantly in touch with Caroline after she was charged with assault to offer her support.
ITV director of television Kevin Lygo also said in a statement that "the door was left open for her to return" to ‘Love Island’ following her hiatus.
Lygo said: "Everyone at ITV is absolutely devastated and still trying to process this tragic news. Caroline was part of ‘Love Island’ from the very beginning and her passion, dedication and boundless energy contributed to the show’s success.
"After Caroline stepped down from the show ITV made it clear that the door was left open for her to return and the ‘Love Island’ production team remained in regular contact with her and continued to offer support over the last few months.
"Caroline loved Love Island and was very vocal in her support of the show. Viewers could relate to her and she to them and that was a big part of the programme’s success. We will all miss her very much."
Lady Victoria Hervey criticises ITV for treatment of Caroline Flack
