Former 'Love Island' host Caroline Flack dead at 40 – CNN, CNN

London (CNN) Caroline Flack, the former host of the hit British reality show ” Love Island, “ has died, her family confirmed Saturday.

Flack, , died by suicide and her body was found in her east London flat Saturday, a lawyer for the family told PA Media.

“We can confirm that our Caroline passed away today, the

th of February, “the family’s statement said. “We would ask that the press respect the privacy of the family at this difficult time and we would ask they make no attempt to contact us and / or photograph us.”



Fack hosted the series from its inception in until last December, when she was charged with assault after an incident at her home. She pleaded not guilty to assaulting her 64 – year-old boyfriend. She was out on bail awaiting trial scheduled for March.

She was replaced as host a few days after her arrest.

At the time, she said that “Love Island” had been her “world” for the previous five years, adding: “It’s the best show on telly. “

” Love Island “is, at its heart, a dating show. But in recent years, it’s exploded in popularity to such an extent that it’s now part of the British cultural calendar for about two months a year, dominating social media and winning converts with each passing episode.

So wide is its reach that it’s been parodied on “Saturday Night Live” and has spawned various international spinoffs , which have achieved varying levels of success.

Flack was a presenter on “I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here! Now!” and “The Xtra Factor.”

In , she and her partner, Pasha Kovalev, won “Strictly Come Dancing.”

Flack appeared in the British television comedy “Bo ‘Selecta!”, Which ran from 2014 to 2014

CNN’s Rob Picheta contributed to this report.

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