Who Was Caroline Flack’s Boyfriend When She Died? Looking Back at Her Love Life
What To Know
- Caroline Flack died by suicide in February 2020, just two months after she was charged with assault.
- She was dating Lewis Burton at the time of her death.
- Flack previously also had relationships with Prince Harry, Harry Styles, and more.
Warning: The following post contains discussions of suicide.
Caroline Flack died by suicide in February 2020. Her death, which came amid public scrutiny following an assault charge in December 2019, is now being investigated in the Hulu docuseries Caroline Flack: Search for the Truth.
The Metropolitan Police pressed charges against Flack after her boyfriend, Lewis Burton, called authorities following an incident that left him with a minor head injury. Although Burton didn’t want to press charges and did not “support the allegation,” police said it was in the public interest to charge Flack. She found out she was going to be prosecuted shortly before her death.
Scroll down for more about Flack’s relationship with Burton and her past love life.
Who was Caroline Flack’s boyfriend?
Burton, who was 13 years younger than Flack, is a former professional tennis player. He specialized in doubles with partner George Morgan, reaching the finals for boys’ doubles at Wimbledon in 2010 and making it to the main draw for men’s doubles at Wimbledon in 2012. Burton has also done modeling.
He and Flack started dating in August 2019 after being introduced by mutual friends. After the December 2019 incident, Flack was ordered not to contact Burton until after her trial, which was set for March 2020. However, Burton posted a tribute to Flack on social media for Valentine’s Day, just one day before she died.
A month after Flack’s death, Burton wrote on Instagram, “It’s already been a month I love and miss you so much, I never thought that one day I will never be able to see or speak to you again 💔. I wake up and think you’re going to be laying next to me or you’re going to call me in a minute. It just doesn’t seem real. I wish I could give you a kiss and a cuddle and say everything is going to be ok. I am so grateful I met you. I just want to make you proud.”
Burton started dating Louis Tomlinson‘s sister, Lottie Tomlinson, in November 2020. They’ve been engaged since 2023 and have a son, born in 2022, and daughter, born in 2025.
Did Harry Styles date Caroline Flack?
Yes, Styles and the Love Island host had a short-lived romance in 2011. At the time, he was 17 and she was 31.
“I already knew that he had a crush on me, he’s made it pretty obvious as he’s said it in magazines and said it to friends,” Flack wrote in her autobiography. “I’ve never felt I was much older than Harry. I still feel 18 and I probably act that way half the time. Although it was just a bit of fun we decided it was best to keep it to ourselves as we were both working for Simon Cowell.”
Flack noted that one morning Styles was pictured coming out of her house, and that’s when everything blew up. “That was that,” she wrote. “People started shouting ‘pedophile’ at me in the street and ‘pervert.'”
After the breakup, Styles tweeted, “Please know I didn’t ‘dump’ Caroline. This was a mutual decision. She is one of the kindest, sweetest people I know. Please respect that.”
Styles attended the Brit Awards just days after Flack’s death and wore a black ribbon as a tribute to his late girlfriend.
What happened between Caroline Flack and Prince Harry?
In 2009, Flack and Prince Harry were introduced by mutual friends. In his memoir Spare, Harry revealed that they dated “on and off,” but never got serious due to the intense publicity that surrounded them.
“Very soon after they papped me and Flack, those photos set off a frenzy,” Harry recalled. “Within hours a mob was camped outside Flack’s parents’ house, and all her friends’ houses, and her grandparents’ house. I continued to see Flack on and off, but we didn’t feel free anymore. We kept on, I think, because we genuinely enjoy each other’s company, and because we didn’t want to admit defeat at the hands of these a**holes. But the relationship was tainted, irredeemably, and in time we realized it just wasn’t worth the grief and harassment. Especially for her family. Goodbye, we said. Goodbye and good luck.”
Flack shared a similar story in her book, writing, “Once the story got out, that was it. We had to stop seeing each other. I was no longer Caroline Flack, TV presenter, I was Caroline Flack. Prince Harry’s ‘bit of rough.'”
At the time of Flack’s death, Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, were dealing with their own media scrutiny issues following their decision to leave the royal family. “In the midst of all this darkness came the horrible news that my old friend Caroline Flack had taken her life,” Harry said in a statement. “She couldn’t stand it anymore, apparently. The relentless abuse at the hands of the press, year after year, had finally broken her. I felt so awful for her family. I remembered how they’d all suffered for her mortal sin of going out with me.
Who else has Caroline Flack dated?
Flack dated Sam Smith‘s manager, Jack Street, in 2014. They moved in together, but split before the end of the year while Flack was competing on Strictly Come Dancing, which she ended up winning.
In 2015, the two were spotted attending Glastonbury together. However, their reconciliation was brief. She dated The Apprentice and Celebrity Big Brother star Andrew Brady in 2018. They moved in together after one month and got engaged, but split three months later. He admittedly met with producers for Celebs Go Dating just one day after the breakup.
If you or anyone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or dial 988. If you or a loved one are in immediate danger, call 911.
Caroline Flack: Search for the Truth, Streaming Now, Hulu and Disney+
