The host of Love Island, Caroline Flack, was recently charged with assault after a domestic incident, and she has since stepped down from her post on the show. Flack herself announced that she will be not be returning next season to the hit UK reality tv show.
Last week, the popular show host was charged with assault. This came following an incident that took place on Thursday, Dec 12, which involved a male who a London Metropolitan Police spokesperson confirmed was not seriously injured. Though she started her career as an actress, Flack has a long history in reality TV. Not only was she the original host of Love Island, one of Britain's most popular reality shows ever, she also presented on the reality shows The X Factor and The Xtra Factor. She even appeared as a contestant on - and won - Strictly Come Dancing, a celebrity ballroom dancing competition in 2014. The 40-year-old host has had her share of public drama, but it's all been tame in comparison to this current news.
According to People, Flack took to social media, posting via her Instagram Story to announce and explain her sudden departure from the show she's been a part of since the beginning. Directly commenting on the charges specifically Flack wrote, “While matters were not as have been reported, I am committed to cooperating with the appropriate authorities and I can’t comment further on these matters until the legal process is over.” She then went on to praise Love Island, calling it "the best show on telly. Explaining to fans that she doesn't want her current drama to overshadow the show, she announced that she will be stepping down for the upcoming season. She wished the show well in their new filming location of Cape Town.
Love Island is about to premiere its first winter installation of the popular dating show, which will take place in South Africa, instead of Mallorca where all previous summer seasons have filmed. The show is set to start airing in January 2020. Despite this news, fans were still surprised to see the host of the hit show step down. With the show due to hit screens in roughly a month, it's likely there is a massive scramble by ITV to find a suitable replacement - though that replacement may only be temporary. People spoke with a spokesperson for the network who said, “ITV has a long standing relationship with Caroline and we understand and accept her decision. We will remain in contact with her over the coming months about future series of Love Island.”
The show is one of the most popular shows in the UK, taking reality TV to new levels. As its host, Flack played at part in that success. It remains to be seen if her replacement can step into her shoes or not. While details are still vague, they do warrant the removal of Flack as host, so it's possible that if she hadn't stepped down willingly, she would have still been replaced by ITV. The outcome of the charges against her will likely determine whether or not she returns in the future, but it is clear that they are leaving the door open for now. Either way, its unlikely Love Island will be impacted too dramatically, as it has a strong solid fan base who are hungry for a new season.
Source: People