Caroline Flack’s mother Christine has said she is upset about how Jeremy Clarkson was allowed to “say what he wants” about Meghan Markle, who she pointed out could be “fragile”.
Over the weekend, the former Top Gear presenter was met with a wave of criticism over an opinion piece he wrote in The Sun, describing how he “hates” the Duchess of Sussex “on a cellular level”.
In the article, the Clarkson’s Farm host added that he dreams of the day “when she is made to parade naked through the streets” while crowds “throw lumps of excrement at her”.
During an interview with LBC broadcaster Shelagh Fogarty on Monday, Christine – the mother of the former Love Island presenter, who took her own life in 2020 – criticised Clarkson’s article, saying: “We shouldn’t be allowed to just say awful things.”
“It’s just upset me so much that Jeremy Clarkson has been allowed to not only think that, but put it in print about somebody who we don’t know whether she’s fragile or not,” she continued.
“I’ve got to kind of explain it, my daughter was Caroline Flack and what was printed in the papers, so much of it was untrue… It’s all too easy just to apologise.”
On Monday, Clarkson responded to the widespread backlash his column received, saying he was “horrified to have caused so much hurt”.
His article followed the recent broadcast of Harry and Meghan’s six-part Netflix docuseries, in which the couple made allegations of mistreatment by the Royal Family.
Christine explained: “I’m too nervous, and I can see that even though Meghan and Harry have got all that money, and they even said, ‘if they can’t win, how can anyone else win?’.
“They don’t know who they’re dealing with and someone like Jeremy Clarkson can just say what he wants but it gets printed, that’s the worst thing.”
She later added: “It’s incredible. Why write something so bad? We thought at least when [Caroline] died at least this thing about being kind, it isn’t a joke, it’s a real thing, if you’re going to write something about someone, let it be nice.
“It fires up other people who aren’t nice. They get on the bandwagon, don’t they? It’s dangerous.”
LBC presenter Shelagh told her guest: “I didn’t know Caroline directly but I knew friends of hers and I think often of her actually and what a bright star she was and when people are telling me only today ‘They’re only words, they’re only words, they’re only words’, words really made Caroline suffer sometimes.”
The Independent Press Standards Organisation (Ipso) said it had received more than 6,000 complaints over the article – almost half the total number of complaints the media regulator received in 2021.
Help and support:
- Mind, open Monday to Friday, 9am-6pm on 0300 123 3393.
- Samaritans offers a listening service which is open 24 hours a day, on 116 123 (UK and ROI - this number is FREE to call and will not appear on your phone bill).
- CALM (the Campaign Against Living Miserably) offer a helpline open 5pm-midnight, 365 days a year, on 0800 58 58 58, and a webchat service.
- The Mix is a free support service for people under 25. Call 0808 808 4994 or email help@themix.org.uk
- Rethink Mental Illness offers practical help through its advice line which can be reached on 0808 801 0525 (Monday to Friday 10am-4pm). More info can be found on rethink.org.
