Olly Murs says The Voice judges helped him through and ‘kept him busy’ after Caroline Flack’s death
OLLY Murs said The Voice judges helped him through and "kept him busy" after Caroline Flack's death.
The singer, 35, was heartbroken after his friend and former Xtra Factor co-presenter, 40, died by suicide last month.
Speaking ahead of The Voice's semi-final, Olly revealed throwing himself back into work - and getting the support of his fellow judges, actually helped him along the way.
He told The Sun Online: "I think me coming back to work this week and seeing Tom and the coaches was definitely something I feel I needed. It's across the board for all of us I think. We all needed that."
The star then opened up about his grief: "For anyone, if you're having a dark difficult time at home or if you've had some bad news, sometimes it's nice to keep busy and see friends.
"To talk about it but also take your mind away from it for a few moments."
Caroline and Olly hosted The Xtra Factor in 2011 and 2012, and their friendship and witty repertoire saw them become a hit with viewers
After her success on Strictly Come Dancing in 2014, Simon Cowell asked Caroline to host The X Factor alongside Olly in 2015.
Earlier this month, Ollie revealed on the Chris Evans Virgin Radio Breakfast Show that the news still hasn't properly sunk in yet.
YOU'RE NOT ALONE
EVERY 90 minutes in the UK a life is lost to suicide.
It doesn't discriminate, touching the lives of people in every corner of society - from the homeless and unemployed to builders and doctors, reality stars and footballers.
It's the biggest killer of people under the age of 35, more deadly than cancer and car crashes.
And men are three times more likely to take their own life than women.
Yet it's rarely spoken of, a taboo that threatens to continue its deadly rampage unless we all stop and take notice, now.
That is why The Sun launched the You're Not Alone campaign.
The aim is that by sharing practical advice, raising awareness and breaking down the barriers people face when talking about their mental health, we can all do our bit to help save lives.
Let's all vow to ask for help when we need it, and listen out for others.
You're Not Alone.
If you, or anyone you know, needs help dealing with mental health problems, the following organisations provide support:
- CALM, , 0800 585 858
- Heads Together,
- Mind, , 0300 123 3393
- Papyrus,, 0800 068 41 41
- Samaritans, , 116 123
He said: “Even just talking about it, it just makes me, I just can't get my head around it, to be honest. I was in Bali, actually.
“I was on holiday with my girlfriend and family. I got the phone call about 2:30 in the morning, so I was actually asleep at the time.
“I just looked at my phone and just kind of in shock and to be honest it has not really definitively sunk in properly. You know, she was an amazing person and great. Yeah, just amazing in every way. Just a shame that it happened.”
The Voice continues Saturday at 8.30pm on ITV.
- If you are affected by any of the issues raised in this article, please call the Samaritans for free on 16123