Olly Murs tearfully shared a heartbreaking message Caroline Flack wrote about him, two years before she tragically took her own life.
The singer, 38, fought back tears as he read the note penned by Caroline for his concert tour in 2018 and 2019 where she called him her "soulmate".
Olly, who worked with Caroline of the Xtra Factor, said he was still processing her death nearly three years on, after the Love Island host tragically took her own life at the age of 40, on February 15 2020.
Fighting back tears, he said: “I’m really trying to keep it together here.”
Reading the passage, he said: “When I met Olly for the first time it felt like I had met my soulmate. Not in a weird way, it was just like meeting someone I’d known all my life.
“I’ve never laughed as much as I did in 2011 when we first hosted The Xtra Factor together and that experience will always stay with me forever," Olly said during a chat with Jamie Laing on his podcast Private Parts.
Becoming tearful, he added: “He’s one of the most talented people I’ve ever met in my whole life and he puts 100% into everything he does.
“He keeps the whole team going and for that I forgive him for his dad jokes.”
Reflecting on her final years, he added: “Knowing obviously the pain she must have been in to take her own life, to hear her say ‘I’ve never laughed as much as I did in 2011’ and that memory of us being together was one of the moments.
“Just little things like that…”
Olly worked alongside Caroline on The X Factor spin-off The Xtra Factor in 2011 and 2012.
He also took part in the Climb for Caroline campaign in June 2021, led by the charity Samaritans, where friends and family of Flack attempted to climb 24 peaks over 24 hours to raise money.
Olly told the podcast he was still processing her death nearly three years on.
He said he used to look back through their messages, listen to her voice notes and also scroll through her social media but had stopped as it made him too emotional.
Olly said he later deleted many of their messages but kept certain photos and fan gifts to remember her by.
“I just felt there was part of me that needed to move on a bit,” he said.
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Earlier this month, close friends and family of Caroline marked what would have been her 43rd birthday with tributes on social media.
Olly was joined by Laura Whitmore, who took over as Love Island host, and Iain Stirling, the narrator of the ITV dating show, in paying tribute.
- If you're struggling and need to talk, the Samaritans operate a free helpline open 24/7 on 116 123. Alternatively, you can email jo@samaritans.org or visit their site to find your local branch
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