Caroline Flack: Ex Danny Cipriani says she died from 'embarrassment and shame'
The rugby star says the former Love Island presenter contacted him in the hours before her death, but he was unable to respond.
Friday 21 February 2020 23:11, UK
Danny Cipriani says he believes his former girlfriend Caroline Flack was killed by "embarrassment and shame".
The England rugby star posted an emotional 18-minute video on Instagram in tribute to the former Love Island presenter, who took her own life at her home in east London last weekend.
Cipriani said he had been in regular contact with Flack over the last three to four months, and she had tried to contact him in the hours before her death last Saturday.
A tearful Cipriani said he had been unable to respond to her calls and texts as he was playing for Gloucester against Exeter in the Gallagher Premiership on Friday evening.
He says he still has a voicemail from Flack left around two weeks ago, which he has yet to listen to but will share "at some point" because "people need to hear it".
Sobbing, he also admitted he had sent her messages since her death, adding "but she's not going to hear them as her phone's not on and she's not here".
The couple briefly dated in 2019, and Cipriani said he had shared many intimate issues with Flack because she made him "feel safe".
:: Listen to the Daily podcast with Dermot Murnaghan on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Spreaker
Calling her someone he "loved as a person really dearly", he says the pair stayed in contact after splitting up. He said they shared "a loving friendship".
He went on to say "it was ultimately embarrassment and shame that killed her", and that was why he was speaking out on social media.
The 32-year-old also revealed he had struggled with mental health issues around 10 years ago, going through "severe depression".
He said at points he too considered taking his own life.
At the end of the video Cipriani urges those watching to "be kind" to one another, and says he does not want Flack's death to be in vain.
His words echo an Instagram post shared by Flack in December which read "In a world where you can be anything, be kind," and which has widely been used in tribute following her death.
Cipriani is the latest celebrity to pay tribute to Flack at the same time as highlighting the attention around her case.
While he mentioned the tabloids, the Crown Prosecution Service and social media trolls in his video, he also made it clear: "I'm not trying to go at the media here, I'm trying to go at every single human being, it's not them and us it's everybody.
"I understand the CPS made an example of her, but it's not their fault. But it's the society we've created."
Flack's management team have said the assault charges had caused her "significant distress", saying she was in a "very vulnerable state".
:: Anyone feeling emotionally distressed or suicidal can call Samaritans for help on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org in the UK. In the US, call the Samaritans branch in your area or 1 (800) 273-TALK.