She was the iconic face of Love Island after the popular reality series returned to our screens in 2015, resulting in a huge boost to an already glittering career.
But after her fall from grace following her alleged beating of boyfriend Lewis Burton, 27, last month, pals reveal that not being involved in the hit show has shocked Caroline Flack into overhauling her life, in preparation for a huge comeback after her trial in a few months.
The 40-year-old host had been gearing up for the winter version of Love Island in South Africa before she was sensationally charged over the alleged attack in December – leading to fellow presenter Laura Whitmore stepping in to replace her.
A source says, "Caroline has been in hiding in LA, keeping her head down and trying her best to stay away from television and social media to avoid upsetting herself.
"From her own experience, she’s fully aware of how much excitement there always is over a new series of Love Island. Now, not being part of it has shocked her into making some major life changes."
The presenter fled to Los Angeles to escape the spotlight and clear her head, after pleading not guilty to the assault charges in the initial court hearing two days before Christmas. Magistrates heard she allegedly hit her sleeping boyfriend around the head with a lamp and had to be restrained in her north London home by attending police officers.
And with the trial set for March – which Caroline says will be a "relief" so she can "have her say" – pals say she is using the time to self-reflect in order to turn her life around.
The source says, "Caroline’s been avoiding the usual celeb haunts. She’s been going on long hikes, reading, doing yoga and taking care of herself with spa treatments, healthy food and lots of sleep.
"She openly admits she’s a party girl, but the truth is she’s been desperate to settle down and have a family for a long time now. She has a twin sister who is married with kids, and that’s what she wants, too.
"She knows she won’t achieve that goal if she doesn’t stop burning the candle at both ends with work and socialising. She’s been visiting retreats and reading self-help guides to ensure long-lasting and healthy relationships – with herself and others – for when she returns."
Check out: Laura Whitmore's Love Island outfits and where to buy them for less on the high street
Laura Whitmore's Love Island wardrobe 2020
1 of 29Laura's red suit
For the Love Island 2020 final, Laura wore this incredible tailored red suit from designer Joshua Kane. The heart design was made bespoke for Laura and we absolutely love the detail. The suit itself is quite pricey, but if you want to bag Laura's red pantsuit look for less, look no further than this version from Boohoo.com.
2 of 29'The Dailia' red twill cropped 2-piece suit, Joshua Kane, £1,850
3 of 29Tailored Blazer, Boohoo, £24
4 of 29Laura's black puff sleeve blazer dress
For her latest appearance on Love Island: Aftersun, Laura wore this funky black blazer dress with puff sleeves and cute flower buttons. Laura brought some high fashion onto the show this time as her dress was by designer label Birger Christensen. The designer tag of this dress also comes with a designer price, £420 to boot. Luckily we've found a gorgeous dupe from Boohoo with the same floral button detail.
5 of 29ROTATE Birger Christensen Women's Carol Plain Mini Dress - Pirate Black, Coggles, £420
6 of 29Premium Puff Sleeve Detail Blazer Dress, Boohoo, £30
7 of 29Laura's gold slip dress
For the dramatic post Casa Amor re-coupling, Laura wore this gorgeous gold slip dress with a cowl neck. It's a pretty fierce outfit, but it'll set you back a pound or two. The dress is from London-based brand Galvan, and costs £1,095. It's currently on sale for £438 though.
8 of 29Mars metallic midi dress, Galvan, £1,095
9 of 29Jemma Satin Cowl Neck Dress In Gold, SilkFred, £45
10 of 29Laura's green and black high neck floral dress
For the latest instalment of Love Island: Aftersun, Laura wore this cute black and green floral skater dress with a high neck and cut out detail. We think she looked gorge, but the original dress costs £275, so we've found where you can get her look for less.
11 of 29Vivianne floral-print crepe mini dress, Reformation, £275
12 of 29Oasis swing dress with tie collar in floral print, ASOS, £50
13 of 29Laura's floral puff sleeve bodycon dress
Laura wore this gorgeous floral puff sleeve dress to drop the Casa Amor bomb on the Islanders. The ruched bodycon number is from new brand, For Love and Lemons, and costs £286.27 including tax. If your purse won't allow you the splurge, we've found a high street dupe too.
14 of 29Monet floral mini dress, For Love and Lemons, £286.27
15 of 29Black floral print puff sleeve wrap mini dress, Missguided, £19.80
16 of 29Laura's pink spotty ruffled dress
Laura's pink dream of a dress on this week's Aftersun is by Australian fashion designer Alice McCall. We love the cute dotty print, but it does come with a price tag. You can buy her exact dress from Oxygen Boutique for £325, or you can steal her look for less from ASOS for £20 - phew.
17 of 29Space Odyssey Dress Dahlia Dot, Alice McCall at Oxygen Boutique, £325
18 of 29Dusty Daze tulle mini dress with bow front in polka, ASOS, £20
19 of 29Laura's red satin dress
Laura made a dramatic entrance on Sunday's show in this red satin dress by Reformation. The dress isn't cheap and will cost you a whopping £384. Luckily we've found a purse-friendly high street dupe from Love Island partner brand, I Saw It First.
20 of 29Josefine fitted mini-dress, Reformation, £384
21 of 29Laura's pink suit
For her second Love Island: Aftersun appearance, Laura stuck to the pink and black theme of last week's dress in a cool pink suit. The suit was created by Irish designer, Joanne Hynes, but it's sadly not available to buy yet. Boo. But don't worry - we've found a super-cute high street version.
22 of 29Anita Dusty Pink Belted Suit, Missy Empire, £37.40
23 of 29Laura's leather dress
For the first instalment of Love Island: Aftersun, now back on a Monday night at 10pm on ITV2, Laura wore a funky black leather dress with pink accents. The dress is from The Mighty Company via Net-A-Porter and costs a whopping $1,195 full price. The dress is currently on sale for a bargain (ish) $478. We've also found a high-street version of the leather mini-dress that saves your pennies.
24 of 29The Thames metallic textured and smooth leather mini dress, The Mighty Company, $1,195
25 of 29Faux leather shirt dress, Stradavarius, £29.99
26 of 29Laura's floral playsuit
Ah, it's back, the mainstay of our weekday evenings. Laura looked amazing in a jacquard floral playsuit with bell sleeves as she kicked off the show last night. The ensemble is from designer Hazan Hejazi and costs £189. If you don't fancy splashing out on a pricey playsuit, we've found a similar version on the high street for less.
27 of 29Floral jacquard playsuit, Hasan Hejazi, £189
28 of 29Long sleeve playsuit in neon floral print, SilkFred, £25
29 of 29Burgundy High Neck Ruched Back Satin Mini Dress, I Saw It First, £20
Before meeting tennis pro-turned-model Lewis in the summer, Caroline reportedly dated Prince Harry in 2009, had a controversial fling with then 17-year-old Harry Styles in 2011 when she was 31, a turbulent two-year romance with music manager Jack Street until 2014, and was embroiled in a bitter split from ex-fiancé Andrew Brady in 2018.
Last year, she opened up about her past relationships, confessing she nearly gave up her career for a man. She said, "[An ex] was going to leave. I did say the words, ‘I’ll stop working – don’t leave me’. I didn’t want him to go, but he left."
But friends insist she won’t be abandoning her job, and instead say her current situation has been a huge incentive to build on her career by adopting a wholesome lifestyle and more harmonious personal life – which is why she is set on moving to the countryside.
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And last week, Love Island bosses provided a further motive by revealing the "door is open" for Caroline to return to the show.
"Caroline’s flat in central London was already up for sale before this happened, and now she’s more keen than ever to get out of the city and escape the stress of it all," says the source.
"It’s what Girls Aloud’s Sarah Harding did when she wanted to get away from the constant temptations of partying. Caroline thinks removing herself from any bad influences will help her recover and make her comeback, which she’s adamant will happen once she gets her say in the trial.
"She’s still with Lewis, who is a country boy, and she plans to move to be with him once they’re allowed to legally reunite. They plan to swap parties and boozing for dog walking and quiet nights in front of the TV."
You can read more celebrity news in this week's Closer magazine - out now.