Danny Cipriani shares heartbreaking final messages from Caroline Flack

Wednesday, 26 February 2020 at 10:06

bySteven Smith

Gloucester Rugby's Danny Cipriani has shared the final Whatsapp messages he exchanged with TV presenter Caroline Flack, opening up about his grieving process on Instagram.

In the messages, he reveals that she called him 'black dot' and that he spoke to her about 'working in an industry that doesn't suit him' and she spoke about 'the court case coming up.'

The post reads: "Black dot. Before I start. This is my grieving process. Which is talking. A lot. Which my friends and family and teammates have had to take this last 10 days because I'm grieving. And I'm grieving hard. Hence I'm talking a lot.

"I'm not sure I'd be strong enough if I didn't understand or see myself in her. Pain is pain. It doesn't matter if you've lost a cat. Or been called a name. No ones pain is worse or less. Because it is individual to them and how they take it.

"So... Black dot. If you judge the first pic you see a black dot. But I didn't really know what she meant when she called me black dot. Until her best friend told me on Sunday last week. 'She used to call you black dot, now I know, your WhatsApp pic is a black dot' - so I changed my WhatsApp pic to a black dot about five months ago because I felt there were people who had my number who I couldn't trust.

"Ultimately I would have let them into my life. So ultimately I would have to ask myself why. Anyway. This story is about the beauty she found in a situation I found uncomfortable. 'I'm just talking to black dot' she would say. She was kind beyond belief. And she would think I am crazy doing all this. But I know she would be proud.

"I'm taking lent off social media. Thank you all for the kind messages. And all the lovely response. Thank you for the bad response. It's my story. And I did it for me. Then her - she wasn't allowed to talk to her BF throughout the case because of the law. He wanted the charges dropped. They wanted to pursue. I am not pointing the fingers. The CPS and police do a good job. Just saying we can't always do a good job.

"This is my grieving process. Our greatest strength is our greatest weakness. PS - I was shown how to disable comments. So I'm going to do so on this post. Because it's for me and my grieving process. But in a month I will be back on social because that's 2020 and this is me navigating my way through life."

DANNY CIPRIANI FACTS

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Here’s 10 things you didn’t know about Gloucester fly-half Danny Cipriani that might surprise you...

1. Sporting talent

A keen all-round sportsman, Cipriani played junior football for Queens Park Rangers and was offered youth terms by Reading. He also played schoolboy cricket for Berkshire and Oxfordshire. Cipriani was invited to join Surrey County Cricket Club as a batsman^. He also played squash at county level

2. First rugby club

He first played club rugby at Rosslyn Park in Roehampton, where he developed his passion for the game.

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3. Heritage

The fly-half is mixed-race; his father is Afro-Trinidadian with some Italian heritage while his mother is English. Cipriani's father, Jay, and his mother, Anne, separated soon after his birth. Although Jay returned to Trinidad, Cipriani was able to remain in contact with him.

4. Animal rights

Cipriani posed shirtless for a PETA "Ink Not Mink" ad, showing off his tattoos on behalf of the anti-fur campaign

5. Love life

The England fly-half has previously dated high-profile models Kelly Brook and Katie Price. His love life has been a bit more low key since his most recent high-profile girlfriend TV sports presenter Kirsty Gallagher. The relationship fizzled out after six months in 2016. Other famous romances include Lindsay Lohan, one of the Cheeky Girls and briefly the late Love Island host Caroline Flack.

6. Knock out

The England sporting pin-up was knocked out in a bust-up with club and international team-mate Josh Lewsey in 2012. The golden boy of English rugby was left nursing a bloody nose and cut lip following the incident at Wasps’ training ground in west London – and the session was allegedly abandoned.

7. Arrests

Cipriani was arrested for drink-driving after the car he was driving was involved in a collision with a taxi at 05:15 on 1 June 2015. He was convicted after a five-day trial for drink-driving before Westminster Magistrates' Court on 24 June 2016. He was ordered to pay a total of £7,620 in fines and costs and banned from driving for 18 months.

On 15 August 2018, during a pre-season tour in Jersey, Cipriani was arrested after an incident at a nightclub in St Helier. He was charged with common assault on a doorman, larceny, assault on a police woman, resisting arrest and being disorderly on licensed premises later that day.

8. Award winner

In May 2019 he was voted Player of the Year by the Rugby Players Association.

9. Salary

The fly-half was on £190,000 to £200,000 when he arrived at Kingsholm, which was a relatively modest wage for a player of his calibre and experience. It’s been reported that his latest deal with the club is closer to £400,000.