Archive November 12, 2025

Caroline Flack’s ex Lewis Burton breaks silence after heartbreaking documentary

Caroline Flack’s former boyfriend has hit out in an ultra rare statement about the late TV presenter following the release of a bombshell documentary about her death.

Boyfriend Lewis Burton has said he is going to speak out about her death to “clarify the situation” after a new documentary was released about her death.

In a statement on Instagram, Lewis said: “Out of respect, I’ve chosen to remain silent. However, the false accusations and online abuse directed toward me and my family has gone too far.

“I had hoped it would never come to this, but now I have no choice but to clarify the situation and share the truth.”

Lewis is not interviewed in the documentary although the director and producer said at a media screening that Lewis was approached several times but declined to appear.





Lewis Burton's Instagram post


Lewis Burton’s Instagram post





Caroline Flack.


Caroline took her own life in 2020
(
Matt Crossick/PA Wire)

Series producer Sophie Clayton-Payne revealed that Lewis had been invited to take part. “We contacted as many people as possible,” she said.

“We contacted Lewis right from the beginning and we said ‘We’d love to talk to you off-record just for research purposes [to] understand your perspective on everything.’ “We also invited him to take part in the series, on camera. He declined to take part.”

It is thought he may have received some trolling on social media since the two part series dropped on Monday.

Some of Lewis’ comments do feature via the quotes picked up on the police body cam on the night he and Caroline had an altercation in December 2019.

Lewis blurted out to police he may have been hit by a lamp, a fan, and then admitted he didn’t know what it was. He later agreed with Caroline that it was his phone that was used and said this on social media. In fact Caroline’s mobile was the only thing taken from the scene as evidence. In the new documentary Caroline’s mum Christine is keen to ensure people realise it was a “myth” a lamp was ever involved in the altercation.

Caroline, who was born in London and grew up in Norfolk, took her own life in February 2020 at the age of 40, after learning that prosecutors were going to press ahead with an assault charge, following the incident with boyfriend Lewis, in December 2019.

On instagram after her death, Lewis wrote: “My heart is broken we had something so special.

“I am so lost for words I am in so much pain I miss you so much I know you felt safe with me you always said I don’t think about anything else when I am with you and I was not allowed to be there this time I kept asking and asking.

“I will be your voice baby I promise I will ask all the questions you wanted and I will get all the answers nothing will bring you back but I will try make you proud everyday. I love you with all my heart.”

In the Disney+ documentary Caroline Flack: Search For The Truth former CPS chief crown prosecutor Nazir Afzal studies the police documents gathered by Christine and is in no doubt Caroline should NOT have gone to trial.

He says: “Having looked at all your evidence I can’t understand why they rushed the judgement. This was a case where there is no previous history, no coercive behaviour. Mr Burton never wanted this case and was adamant. This was a one off occasion where she lost her temper and did what she did, which she accepts. For all of those reasons, the very worst thing that should have happened was a caution.”

He added: “I have prosecuted thousands of these cases, none of this makes sense. Almost immediately in the cold light of day, prosecutors would have formed a view this case is going nowhere and they should have stopped the case. They are required to stop the case where there is insufficient evidence. I can’t think of any reason to proceed, unless they were scared of what the media were going to say about them. It is not about losing face, this is about justice. My take on it is Caroline would still be with us if certain decisions weren’t taken in that month or two.”

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Racing Bulls sorry for Norris thumbs-down video

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Racing Bulls have apologised after a video on social media appeared to show a team member making a thumbs-down gesture as McLaren’s Lando Norris collected the winner’s trophy at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix.

The employee, wearing team uniform and filming the podium celebrations on a mobile phone, turned and repeatedly gives a thumbs down to fans below.

Another team member put the person’s arm down and appeared to gesture for them to stop.

“We believe in celebrating great racing and showing respect to every driver, team and fan both on and off the track,” read a statement.

Racing Bulls said the matter had been handled internally.

Norris’ victory on Sunday extended his lead over team-mate Oscar Piastri to 24 points in the drivers’ championship.

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    Lando Norris smiling after winning the Sao Paulo Grand Prix, with Max Verstappen visible in the background

State Man ruled out for season with injury

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State Man has been ruled out for the season and will not bid to reclaim the Champion Hurdle title at Cheltenham in March.

Trainer Willie Mullins said the horse had suffered an injury on the gallops on Wednesday morning.

The eight-year-old was second to Constitution Hill in the 2023 Champion Hurdle and won the race the following year.

State Man was leading when falling at the final flight in last year’s contest but went on to win the Champion Hurdle at Punchestown.

He is a two-time Cheltenham Festival winner, having landed the County Hurdle in 2022.

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Sixers Edge Celtics While Thunder Reach NBA-Best 11-1

Tyrese Maxey and hometown hero Justin Edwards sparked the Philadelphia 76ers over Boston 102-100 on Tuesday, while reigning champion Oklahoma City improved its NBA-best record to 11-1.

Maxey, the NBA’s number two scorer this season, netted 21 points, and Edwards came off the bench to score 22.

But it was Kelly Oubre’s putback shot with 8.7 seconds remaining off the only miss of the night by Edwards that produced the winning points.

“Extremely tough. He fought in there,” Maxey said of Oubre’s final basket. “We got Justin the good look, and KO got the rebound and put it back.”

Boston’s Derrick White missed a desperation half-court heave at the finish, and the 76ers (7-4) improved to 2-1 over the Celtics this year, the games decided by a total of four points.

“That’s how it goes,” Maxey said. “We’ve played them 100 times, it feels like since I’ve been in the NBA. They know what we’re going to do, and we know what they’re going to do.”

Maxey said winning tight games comes down to simple things.

“Resilient. We trust each other,” he said. “Just try to make great plays and play great defense in the fourth quarter.”

Edwards, a two-time state high school champion at Philadelphia’s Imhotep High School, went 8-for-8 from the floor and 5-of-5 from three-point range in a sizzling display until his final miss that set up the winning basket.

Sixers reserve Quentin Grimes added 18 points while Boston’s Jaylen Brown had a game-high 24 points.

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Philadelphia was without Cameroonian big man Joel Embiid due to a sore right knee.

The Sixers led 23-22 after the lowest-scoring first quarter by each club this season and 51-41 at half-time, but needed a Grimes three-pointer from half-court at the third-quarter buzzer to pull within 77-71, setting the stage for a fourth-quarter fightback.

Reigning NBA Most Valuable Player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 28 points and 11 assists to lead the reigning champion Oklahoma City in a 126-102 home victory over the Golden State Warriors.

Chet Holmgren added 23 points and 11 rebounds for the Thunder, who boosted their NBA-best record to 11-1 with a third consecutive triumph.

  A Picture Image Of The Philadelphia 76ERS And The Boston Celtics

Win Streaks Hit Five

New York’s Jalen Brunson scored 32 points, hitting six of nine three-point attempts, and passed off 10 assists to spark the host Knicks over Memphis 133-120.

The Knicks (7-3), who also got 21 points and 13 rebounds from Karl-Anthony Towns, stretched their win streak to five games and improved to 7-0 at home this season.

Also boosting their win streak to five games were the Denver Nuggets (8-2), who won 122-108 at Sacramento behind Serbian center Nikola Jokic’s 35 points, 15 rebounds, and seven assists.

The three-time NBA MVP averages 25.2 points, a league-best 11.9 assists, and an NBA second-best 13.0 rebounds per contest.

Toronto’s Brandon Ingram scored 25 points and Immanuel Quigley added 24 to lift the Raptors over host Brooklyn 119-106.

The Nets sank to 1-10, matching Washington with the NBA’s worst record, and 0-6 at home.

Finland’s Lauri Markkanen scored 35 points to lead the Utah Jazz over Indiana 152-128, the Pacers falling to 0-6 on the road and into the NBA basement at 1-10.

Strictly’s Gorka Marquez says ‘I don’t want to’ as he shares Gemma Atkinson marriage update

Strictly Come Dancing stars Gemma Atkinson and Gorka Marquez have been together for more than six years and share two children – but they’re in no rush to tie the knot

Gemma Atkinson has given an update on her relationship with long-term partner and Strictly Come Dancing professional Gorka Márquez.

The couple, who first met during the 2017 series of Strictly Come Dancing, have been in a relationship for over six years and are parents to two children — daughter Mia, who arrived in 2019, and son Thiago, born in 2023.

While Gemma and Gorka weren’t dance partners on the programme, their romance developed away from the cameras, and they confirmed their relationship shortly after the series concluded.

They’ve since established themselves as one of Strictly’s most popular couples, frequently offering fans a window into their home life through social media. However, despite persistent questions from supporters about when they’ll tie the knot, the pair insist there’s no urgency to arrange an extravagant ceremony.

In a chat with Heat magazine about their future plans, the actress and radio host revealed: “We will be getting married. We’re working on whether to do it in England or Spain because we need to involve everyone as much as possible. But as Gorka said yesterday, the thought of planning a wedding — ugh!”

Reflecting on a recent discussion with a mate who’s currently juggling his own wedding arrangements, Gorka, 35, confessed the whole thing seemed rather daunting. “One of my best friends is getting married in June in Italy,” he said.

“I was sharing an apartment with him when I was on Strictly for the first couple of weeks filming the group numbers. Every day he was on the phone speaking and shouting in Italian. I was like, ‘What are you doing?’ He said, ‘Working.’ I was like, ‘Working on what, dancing?’ and he said, ‘No — the wedding.'”

“So he went to Italy for 24 hours, saw the venues, came back, and I said to him, ‘People keep asking us when we are going to get married, but after seeing you stressed and everything, I just don’t want to do it. I’m happy like this.'”

The 40-year-old former soap star admitted she’s not interested in a lavish ceremony, saying: “I don’t want a big fancy white wedding dress. I’ll happily go to a little office somewhere, just us two, sign the papers, then have a party.”

Gorka revealed he’d be equally content with a low-key affair. “I’m happy to buy each other a ring, get the paper, sign together, then we’ll fold it, give it to me — there we go,” he joked.

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Forty-two migrants presumed dead after shipwreck near Libya: UN

Forty-two migrants, including 29 from Sudan, eight from Somalia, three from Cameroon and two from Nigeria, have been missing at sea and presumed dead since their boat overturned off the coast of Libya, according to the United Nations International Organization for Migration (IOM).

Their rubber vessel, packed with 49 migrants, capsized on November 3, six hours after departing the northwestern coastal town of Zuwara, the IOM said on Wednesday, citing survivors.

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Seven of the passengers survived six days adrift at sea and were rescued on November 8 by a Libyan search and rescue crew, said the IOM.

The accident would mark the latest deadly crossing attempt in the central Mediterranean Sea, where more than 1,000 migrants trying to reach Europe have died this year, according to figures from the IOM’s Missing Migrants Project.

‘Urgent need for safe regular migration’

The latest shipwreck demonstrates “the urgent need for strengthened regional cooperation, expanded safe and regular migration pathways, and more effective search and rescue operations to prevent further loss of life”, said the IOM.

It also comes amid growing backlash towards the conduct of Libya’s coastguard and other authorities, which have long faced accusations of violence and abuse towards migrants while at sea and within their borders.

Between 2016 and September 2025, Libya’s coastguard committed at least 60 violent maritime incidents, according to a recent report by the NGO Sea-Watch. The incidents included shooting at boats carrying refugees and asylum seekers, abandoning people at sea and hindering rescue operations.

Last week, a coalition of 13 European search and rescue organisations suspended cooperation with Libya’s maritime rescue coordination centre over alleged rights violations. They accused Libya’s coastguard of being an “illegitimate actor”, amounting to a “decentralised network of armed militias equipped and trained with EU funds”.

“We will not be coerced into communicating our operational position to EU-funded armed militias, shooting at people fleeing to safety and our rescue crews,” said the alliance.

The central Mediterranean is the busiest route for irregular travel to the European Union, with more than 58,000 attempted crossings between January and October this year, according to the EU’s border agency Frontex.

Libya, home to about 867,055 asylum seekers and refugees, has emerged as a main transit route for those trying to reach Europe.