Caroline Flack’s close pal Natalie Pinkham says she still feels the tragic TV presenter around her and lives her life by the mantra: “What would Flacky do?”
But the Sky Sports host reckons Caroline would think she is “mad” for running today’s London Marathon in honour of her late friend. Natalie, who helped set up Flackstock Festival in 2022, said she still misses Caroline’s friendship, company and laughter. She said: “Hopefully, she is proud of what we are all doing to keep her legacy alive. She would probably have a bit of a laugh and think we were all mad.
"But it is important to keep talking about her and to keep her memory alive. Do I feel her around me? Yeah. I think so. We (Caroline’s friends) have this mantra when we wonder what to do, we say, ‘What would Flacky do?’ And I like to do the same. We all hope and believe that Caroline’s spirit runs through the centre of everything we do.”
Natalie, 46, is running for the Samaritans and is one of many celebrities taking on the 26-mile challenge for charity. Running for the same cause will be Emmerdale actor Lawrence Robb, Union J singer Josh Cuthbert and Made in Chelsea star Josh Patterson. Former Love Island host Caroline took her own life on 15 February, 2020, aged 40.
Caroline and Natalie in October 2015 (WireImage)
Natalie Pinkham says she still misses her friend (Mike Marsland/Getty Images for Premier PR)Her inquest coroner said she had suffered “fluctuating ill health ” and “distress” because she was worried about facing a trial in the public eye following assault charges. The tragedy had a profound impact on Natalie, who has kids Wilf and Willow with husband Owain Walbyoff.
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She said: “I hadn’t thought about mental health until Caroline died and now I think about it every day. I think about my kids’ mental health every day now, too. I probably over-analyse but it is important to be aware. Because of that, we just talk about mental health much more as a family. I hope by talking openly we encourage the kids to talk about whatever they want. Nothing is off limits.
“They can talk about whatever is worrying or scaring them. Awareness is a huge thing and it’s important people feel safe to say what they are feeling. That’s what I want to instil in them. But setting up Flackstock and running this marathon has really taught me we need to do more. We can’t just put on one event once a year to make people feel good. We have to help find a pathway to recovery for people brave enough to ask for help and talk about how they are feeling.
The close friends in enjoy a rink in the sunshine
Christine Flack and Natalie Pinkham at Flackstock (Jed Cullen/Dave Benett/Getty Images)“Loads of people have written to us after Flackstock to say it was amazing, but they are struggling and what do they do now. And we just aren’t qualified or equipped to help – but we should be able to offer them something. I’ve realised that’s the next step. Training for the marathon has helped me realise more needs to be done, so it will become a much bigger project moving forward.
“There isn’t enough provision for mental health and when you get older, have kids, lose friends and family, you understand what is important in life.”
Caroline’s friends and family are talking to one of Prime Minister Rishi Suna k ’s advisers and to ex-PM Tony Blair ’s former spin doctor, Alastair Campbell, who is a keen advocate for improving mental health care. Natalie said the biggest problem is the time it takes for youngsters to get help. "The Government isn’t doing enough, nowhere near enough, and they know that. We need to have pre-emptive care before we get to the critical point. At the moment, kids are having to wait six months before they can see someone.”
Natalie, who had only run 5k before taking on the marathon, said training has been therapeutic but also highly emotional. She said: “It has been an interesting experience spending so much time running on my own with nothing but my own thoughts. I’ve had time to think about why I’m doing it – about Caroline, about people who struggle with mental health and the amazing work the Samaritans are doing.
Natalie is running the London Marathon in honour of Caroline“It’s been a form of therapy and I have been getting emotional when I run. I cry really easily and I’ve not even done the race yet, so God knows what I’ll be like on the day. When it comes to my grief, I am in a privileged position because I can focus on my kids, family and work.
“I know that’s probably not healthy and you have to address grief. But then I think about Caroline’s mum, sisters and brother – they don’t have the luxury of having another life to focus on. This is their reality. Not seeing Caroline every day.
“They inspire me to train harder for the marathon and work harder for Flackstock. They are such lovely people. Caroline brought some lovely people into my life and I’m grateful for that. We always say on our WhatsApp group how lucky we are that, despite the horrible circumstances, Caroline brought us together.”
Other celebs in the marathon include Masked Singer host Joel Dommett, 38, who is running in aid of Shooting Stars Children’s Hospice, and A Place in The Sun’s Laura Hamilton, 41, who is supporting WellChild. EastEnders stars Jamie Borthwick, 29, and Emma Barton, 46, will run as their characters in aid of Prostate Cancer UK and Children in Need. Doctor Who actor Christopher Eccleston, 60, is trotting out in aid of The Big Issue.
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Ted Lasso star Phil Dunster, 32, will run for Young Lives vs Cancer. And McFly drummer and Strictly winner Harry Judd, 38, is raising money for The Children’s Trust.
- For information about Samaritans, visit samaritans.org. Tickets for Flackstock 2024, on July 22, are on sale now. Visit flackstock.com
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