The head of World Jewish Relief has paid tribute to TV presenter Caroline Flack, recalling the "great empathy" she showed helping raise awareness of the charity's work in Rwanda.
Ms Flack, who presented Love Island, took her own life on Saturday amid intense press attention ahead of her trial for allegedly assaulting her boyfriend. She denied the charge.
Paul Anticoni tweeted on Sunday he was "sad and shocked" to hear the news. He shared a photo from 2014 of Ms Flack visiting WJR programmes in Rwanda as an ambassador for Sport Relief.
— Paul Anticoni (@PaulAnticoni)
February 16, 2020
Sport Relief gave WJR an £365,994 grant for its project helping provide agricultural training to improve lives in a region devastated by genocide 20 years earlier.
After her visit, Ms Flack wrote in MarieClaire: "I saw how the project, World Jewish Relief, supported by cash raised for Sport Relief, has been helping these makeshift families to start a business from their farmland, forming co-operatives that would sell fruit and vegetables to make a good profit.
"They’ve built a new life from scratch. I can’t grow anything in my flat. Every plant I’ve had has wilted miserably on the windowsill.
"When I saw the beautiful fields of watermelon shoots, pineapples and tomatoes, or the massive banana trees, I felt slightly ashamed that I struggle to maintain a humble basil pot.
"For many people, growing the odd vegetable is a nice hobby. Here in Rwanda, these plantations are a real lifeline; a source of income that’s not only transforming the lives of the co-operative members but also their entire communities."
The death of Ms Flack, 40, prompted tributes from her friends and colleagues but also questions about press intrusion and social media bullying.
Eyal Booker, who was a contestant on the 2018 edition of Love Island that Ms Flack presented, said of her: "You lit up every room I ever saw you in. May you rest in peace and your spirit live on. You touched the lives of so many people."
