Pop star Olly Murs broke down in tears while filming an emotional documentary about the life and death of Caroline Flack.
The 36-year-old singer recalls the extent of the online abuse he and the late Caroline experienced when they were co-hosts on The X Factor back in 2015.
In the Channel 4 documentary, set to air next week, Olly opens up about the first time he met the late television presenter when they became presenters of The Xtra Factor.
Describing the moment, he says: “I walked in and saw her for the first time and thought, ‘Wow, she’s stunning, gorgeous and full of life.’
“At the time, I was single and I think she was, and straight away this chemistry came out of nowhere.
Olly Murs broke down in tears while filming an emotional documentary about the life and death of Caroline Flack (Image: UK Press via Getty Images)
“It was like, ‘Oh!’ Yeah, it was exciting. Everyone was talking about us as if we were the next Richard and Judy or Ant and Dec. And that’s why the show was such a success and why everyone thought we were together.”
The Dance With Me Tonight hitmaker goes on to share how excited the pair were to get the phone call from music mogul Simon Cowell offering them the job of co-hosting the main X Factor show.
“We got the job to host the biggest, most talked about show on TV,” he explains.
“It should have been the most amazing experience of our lives, but it ended up being our downfall, really.”
The singer opens up about the first time he met Caroline in the Channel 4 documentary (Image: Getty Images Europe)
It didn’t take long before social media erupted with negative comments about Olly and Caroline’s presenting techniques.
“After the first two, three shows, we got it from all angles,” Olly says.
“This show’s good but it’s missing something, it’s missing Dermot. And all of a sudden you’re beaten up again.”
He adds: “It was a constant for 10 weeks.”
After just one series, Olly and Caroline time on The X Factor came to an end and they were replaced by original host Dermot O’Leary, who also appears in the documentary.
Olly and Caroline were replaced as The X Factor hosts after just one series (Image: Mirror Screen Grab)
“It was an awful experience to know that everyone hated us on the show,” Olly says.
“That X Factor experience for both of us was hard. But again, Caroline, God… she got it so much more than me. I don’t know what it was.”
Later in the documentary, Olly sobs: “I just wish I could have seen her, I just wish I could have spoken to her, told her not to do it.
“That’s all I wanted to do and I never got the opportunity to do that. And that’s going to hurt for a long time. We were great together.”
Speaking in the film, Caroline’s mum, Christine Flack, explains that Caroline would be on her phone “constantly”, where she would see comments that would cause “hurt” and “affect her everyday”.
She and Caroline’s twin sister, Jody, spoke in the documentary about the mental health struggles the Love Island host experienced throughout her life, with her loved ones begging her to quit showbiz for the sake of her wellbeing.
Television personality Caroline took her own life on February 15 2020 at the age of 40.
Caroline Flack: Her Life And Death will air on Wednesday 17 March at 9pm on Channel 4
For emotional support you can call the Samaritans 24-hour helpline on 116 123, email jo@samaritans.org, visit a Samaritans branch in person or go to the Samaritans website.
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
