Friends of former Love Island star Caroline Flack called for an ambulance the night before she killed herself after she swallowed tablets and warned she was suicidal, her inquest has heard.

The 40-year-old was found barely conscious on the sofa of her new home in Stoke Newington, north-east London, on the evening of Valentine’s Day 2020.

Long-term friends Louise Teasdale and Mollie Grosberg, who had previously been staying with Flack following concerns about a deterioration in her mental health after being charged with assaulting her boyfriend Lewis Burton, raced to the presenter’s flat after she sent a message to Ms Grosberg saying she was going to kill herself.

The friends got into Flack’s flat and called the non-emergency 111 number, but then phoned for an ambulance an hour later when help did not arrive.

We were always nervous to call the police because she didn’t trust the police, and she didn’t want anything to come out to the public which looked like she was having a breakdown

Ms Grosberg told the inquest at Poplar Coroner’s Court that paramedics arriving on the scene asked Flack if she attempted suicide, but she said: “No, I had a headache.”

Ms Grosberg said: “We were obviously very scared about getting the police involved.

“It was agreed she wasn’t going (to hospital) and I got very angry and shouted, I said this was ridiculous.

“They (paramedics) said: ‘She doesn’t want to go… you are going to have to do some baby sitting.’”

Flack was said to be “upset” about the medics’ attendance, and denied trying to kill herself.

Paramedic Tony Rumore told the inquest: “We asked Caroline if her intention was to harm or kill herself, she said it was merely an attempt to sleep and escape from the stresses she was under.

“At that point, Caroline said she adamantly would not be going to hospital and wanted to stay at home.

“Our recommendation was always to be going to hospital but Caroline chose that she did not want to go.”

The inquest heard Flack had attempted suicide previously.

Flack’s friends stayed the night at the flat and left the following morning, at around 10.30am.

It was apparent, Ms Teasdale said, that Flack was upset with them for contacting emergency services because she was worried about details being made public.

Ms Teasdale said: “Caroline spoke to her family about coming the next day because she wanted us to leave, she was quite angry with us.

“She didn’t want us there.

“We were always nervous to call the police because she didn’t trust the police, and she didn’t want anything to come out to the public which looked like she was having a breakdown.”

Flack was found dead on the afternoon of February 15.