Five years after the unimaginable heartbreak of losing her daughter, Christine Flack is channelling her energies into preventing others from suffering the same nightmare.
She told how an anti-suicide bench in Caroline’s memory will be a lasting legacy that has already inspired people struggling with mental health to keep fighting when life gets tough.
In a deeply moving interview on the anniversary of the X Factor and Strictly favourite’s death, Christine tells how she has been left with a huge hole in her heart after her daughter took her own life at the age of 40.
The 74-year-old said: “At the end, Carrie didn’t think there was anything to live for, she felt the world had turned against her. I hope people who read her story will see her life was wasted and may think twice about ending theirs. That’s how I want Carrie to be remembered, for inspiring people to live.”
Christine last year unveiled the special bench at Tottenham Community Sports Centre in North London, just five miles from where Caroline was born in Enfield.
It features the words “someone is always listening” and provides a spot for people to reflect when feeling low. There is also a QR code linking to Caroline’s story and messages of support. It was part of the anti-suicide charity initiative Legend on the Bench.
Christine said: “Caroline understood when people were feeling down and she would talk to them, almost as though she knew how they were feeling. Through her bench and others, her kindness and compassion can continue to support people.
“And I know she would be unbelievably proud. The idea was to have a safe place where people can go at any time of the day or night to sit and think. There are so many negatives in this world at the moment and I think that’s often why people give up, because they don’t see any hope. Caroline’s bench provides hope, even if it’s just to sit there for five minutes and think about things in a safe environment. And I know from speaking to people in the community that it’s used a lot. The QR code was worn out so quickly it had to be replaced.”
Former Spurs midfielder and ambassador of Legend on the Bench Micky Hazard – who lost his nephew Jay to suicide at the age of 23 – said the memorial to Caroline has helped countless people out of dark places.
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Yui Mok/PA Wire)
The 64-year-old added: “We know there is a considerable number of people clicking on the code on Caroline’s bench, the owner of the sports centre said it is used very often.
“Some people go there for solace and we get some beautiful emails. Everyone at some point in their lives suffers, or knows someone who suffers, from mental health problems. It resonates with so many people. Caroline may have taken her life, but she’s now saving many, many more lives and many families from having to through the devastation that her family has been through.
“The bench shows she didn’t give up her life for nothing.” Christine is hoping to get more involved with the charity, which is on a mission to install the anti-suicide benches in every local park and open space in the UK.
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James Gourley/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)
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Getty Images Europe)
Caroline, who shot to fame as the host of ITV ’s Love Island, killed herself on February 15, 2020
Christine told how the last five years without her daughter, who “loved fun times”, left an irreplaceable void in her life. She added: “We miss her terribly. When Carrie entered a room everything changed, she brought her smile and her laughter.
“I want her to be remembered with joy because she was funny and loved fun times, she was a really kind person and her nieces and nephews adored her. I find it hard to see things about her on the TV and old videos, but we talk about her the whole time and she’s still a big part of us.
“We always say, ‘Oh, Carrie would like that,’ or laugh about something she would find funny.”
If you’d like to find out more about Legend on the Bench, you can visit legend-on-the-bench.co.uk.
*If you’re struggling and need to talk, the Samaritans operate a free helpline, open 24/7, on 116 123.
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Source: Mirror
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