Caroline Flack flies to LA hideaway to ‘clear her head’ before assault trial next year
CAROLINE Flack has flown to Los Angeles to clear her head after appearing in court on Monday charged with common assault against boyfriend Lewis Burton.
Landing in the States today, the former Love Island host plans to see in the New Year with long hikes and a period of reflection before she is due back in court in March.
A source said: “Caroline feels trapped in the UK. She can’t see or communicate with Lewis but she also doesn’t want to return to her flat because her every move is documented by photographers."
“Caroline isn’t someone who can sit around twiddling her thumbs until March. She’s driving herself mad, as she likes to be busy. So after spending the festive period with family and friends, she’s jetted to LA."
"Whenever she’s hit hard times, she’s always ‘found herself’ again in the mountains, away from the limelight. She wants to feel the sunshine on her skin, do long hikes and clear her head.”
Her pal Laura Whitmore will now host the first series of Winter Love Island, which Caroline was lined up to present. Caroline has been trying to sell her North London pad for more than a year.
It is where the alleged attack on Lewis in the early hours of December 12 took place. In court, Caroline denied the prosecution’s claim she hit Lewis with a lamp.
My source added: “Caroline and Lewis simply had a lovers’ tiff. Lewis has been a tower of strength with his public support.
"He’s been very vocal in saying Caroline did not hit him with a lamp; that he never wanted — and does not want to — press charges."
“Plus, he asked for Caroline’s bail conditions to be lifted. She now wants to be in a place where she can be happy, free and completely switch off.
"Caroline has always lived a rollercoaster of a life. She’s had a varied TV career until she won Strictly Come Dancing in 2014."
“While she only survived one series hosting The X Factor with Olly Murs in 2015, she bounced back as the host of Love Island.
The chips are down right now but she’ll come back to the UK in a month or so stronger than ever.”
Her first show with Channel 4 is currently in limbo. In The Surjury, a panel decides whether guests should have cosmetic surgery. The source said: “It has yet to be signed off by execs due to the sensitive nature of the show. It’s nothing to do with Caroline.”
SAUCE OF 'BLOOD' STAIN
BIZ on Sunday can also reveal Caroline’s legal team have had the “blood” on her front door tested – after being told the stains were KETCHUP.
A source said: “Caroline has always been adamant the blood spatters on her pink front door – for which she has faced so much stick – were never hers or Lewis’s.
“This week, one of her neighbours wrote to her apologising. He said the stains were actually ketchup. He and his mate had gone around at night, drunk, and sprayed sauce all over her door while sticking it on their chips.
At least now she can clear her name over this particular slur.”
READ ON FOR MORE OF LAURA ARMSTRONG' BIZ ON SUNDAY
Noel is off the leash
NOEL Gallagher will set brother Liam's tail wagging in glee with another excuse for a Twitter ribbing after sounding barking-mad in his latest interview.
The rocker was quizzed in an online chat with pal Matt Morgan about which cartoon character he would have sex with.
And his response makes me relieved Noel’s pet is a cat.
The OASIS legend answered, “Dick Dastardly,” referring to the villainous Hanna-Barbera character from Wacky Races.
When Matt then asked Noel about the kinkiest thing he had ever done, he described a sex act with a dog – in an apparent reference to Dick Dastardly’s pooch sidekick Muttley, both inset above.
The exchange – which we daren’t repeat here – left me lost for words. So it’s over to you, Liam . . .
Robbie Banks
WHILE most of us loosen our waistband over the festive season, Robbie Williams might need to tighten his purse strings after turnover from his main company You’re Not Famous halved last year.
It’s all relative, though.
Turnover for You’re Not Famous dipped from £61million to £31.5million.
But Rob, who rounded off 2019 by releasing festive album The Christmas Present, still paid himself more than £19million in “members’ remuneration”.
Meanwhile, rapper Stormzy’s three companies – Stormzy Ltd, Hashtag Merky Touring and Hashtag Merky Music – brought in a combined £1.7million.
Enough for a few bottles of New Year’s fizz.
Lowe us a kiss
AS we get ready to kiss goodbye to 2019, Daisy Lowe shows she’s a cracker in the pins department in polka dot tights as she stands under a sprig of mistletoe.
There’s only one lucky fella who will get to enjoy a smooch from the model when the bells toll at midnight on New Year’s Eve – her singer boyfriend Jack Penate.
So smitten is Daisy, on the day of his new album’s release, she posted a snap on Instagram of her hands covering her bare boobs and the album cover painted on two of her fingernails.
What a stocking filler.
Gavin & Stacey
‘One scene – I was playing Scrabble with Bryn, Nessa and Gwen – we had to do about 50 times, as he couldn’t stop laughing’
Gavin & Stacey’s ‘Neil The Baby’ Oscar Hartland on working with James Corden
Maura looks pretty in pink
LOVE Islanders tend to find their TV ambitions disappearing down the toilet sooner rather than later.
But having signed up to the upcoming Dancing On Ice, Maura Higgins has extended her run in the spotlight for a little while longer.
She needs to work on the locations for her snaps on social media, though.
Maura, who is dating fellow Islander Curtis Pritchard, looked more flushed than fuchsia as she posed in this mini dress . . . in a public loo, of all places.
At least she avoided the dreaded paper-stuck-to-shoe look.
Light lunch
Gary Lightbody treated his mum and two relatives to a sober Boxing Day pub lunch after losing his dad Jack to dementia days earlier.
The Snow Patrol frontman quit alcohol three years ago, fearing excessive boozing could increase his chances of developing the cruel brain disorder.
He stuck to soft drinks with his fish and chips followed by sticky toffee pudding.
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A fellow diner at The Old Inn in Crawfordsburn, Co Down, told me: “Gary spoke about where his bandmates were for Christmas but didn’t discuss his dad.
“He was joking around with his niece, who was asking him about music and discussing how she dislikes Apple and their headphones.”
Gary swapped alcohol for memory exercises after struggling to remember lyrics to his songs.
Caught out
- Jorgie Porter wanted to cancel her Christmas Day birthday. She told me: ‘I have to give presents to everybody else and don’t even have cake. They have Christmas cake. Usually, I go away and pretend my birthday is another day.’
- Travis Scott has hinted he split from Kylie Jenner over her wanting to retreat from the spotlight to focus on their daughter Stormi. He raps on new track Gatti: ‘Duck away, she wanna lay up and hibernate.’
- Departing Corrie actress Lucy Fallon has dismissed talk of doing I’m A Celebrity next year. She told me: ‘I don’t think I’d be very good. I’d like to do more dramas.’
- X Factor Celebrity runners-up Max & Harvey are relaxing on a cruise with their parents and will celebrate turning 17 on New Year’s Eve in the US Virgin Islands.
- Ellie Goulding was spotted working off her Christmas dinner at Barry’s Bootcamp in Queensway, North West London, putting her fellow gym goers in the shade.
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