Caroline Flack's mum hits out at fake friends who claim they were close to late star

Caroline Flack’s mum has hit out at fake friends who claim to have been close to the late star.

Christine said that it hurt to see people who hadn’t really known the Love Island presenter, who took her own life in 2020 at the age of 40.

“It's hard,” she told The Sun. “I saw someone on the telly this week calling her a friend and it really hurt.”

Read more: Olly Murs completes charity trek in memory of 'very special' Caroline Flack

“When a death is in the media, you can't just grieve quietly," she said. "There's lots of people grieving that don't know her personally, so you are looking after them, as well as all her friends."

The 71-year-old said that she is in touch with Caroline’s close friends.

She said: “I like seeing Natalie (presenter Natalie Pinkham), Josie (charity CEO Josie Naughton) and Dawn (writer and presenter Dawn O’Porter), but it hurts sometimes when I have to see people who say they knew her.”

TV star Caroline was found dead in her London flat on 15 February 2020, the day after hearing that the Crown Prosecution Service would be going ahead with a trial for her alleged attack of her boyfriend Lewis Burton at her home in December 2019.

In the final weeks of her life, the TV star urged her followers to "be kind" to others.

Read more: Tributes paid to Caroline Flack one year on from her death

After her death the phrase became popular as a hashtag on social media and many view it as the presenter's legacy.

Watch: Caroline Flack's mum makes emotional speech at mental health awards