Lucy Spraggan dedicated a song to her late friend Caroline Flack on her new album Balance.
The former X Factor contestant, 31, discussed on Sky News why Love Island presenter Caroline, who died by suicide in 2020, inspired one of her songs after her seventh studio album was released on Friday.
Lucy was just 20 when she was spotted taking part in the ITV series in 2012 and became an overnight sensation as her audition was watched by millions on TV and online.
But the singer-songwriter left the show abruptly after the third week when she was raped by porter Soby Jon – who later pleaded guilty to the assault and went to jail.
She said, “I remember hearing that she had died and I was just so overwhelmed.”
Inspired: Lucy Spraggan has revealed she dedicated a song on her new album Balance to her late friend Caroline Flack
Committed: The former X Factor contestant opened up about why the late Love Island presenter inspired one of her songs after she committed suicide in 2020 (Caroline is pictured in 2019)
“I wondered what protocols and procedures were in place to help someone who clearly needed help at the time.”
Lucy also wants to spread a positive message to her fans with her music to help other people.
She added, “I want people to see my story and say that terrible things can happen, but we can get better and feel better about ourselves.” And that’s what this whole thing is about. That is a very positive message.”
Lucy has also spoken out after detailing her experience on the show in her new memoir, Process: Finding My Way Through.
In the book, she describes being sexually abused after fellow competitor Rylan Clark’s 25th birthday party, where staff and singers were given “free booze” — which ultimately resulted in Lucy being passed out.
After being helped to return to her hotel after being transferred from another London hotel with 24-hour security, she was raped by a porter.
In an interview on Elizabeth Day’s How To Fail podcast, Lucy says the aftercare she received from the show’s production company, Freemantle and ITV, “emptied every ounce of self-esteem I had left”.
Lucy describes the reaction of The X Factor production team in the days after the attack.
Celebrity: Lucy was discovered for the show when she was 20 and made it through the first three live shows before abruptly quitting
Assault: Lucy has since revealed that she was raped on the show after fellow contestant Rylan Clark’s 25th birthday party (pictured with Rylan in 2012)
“I was a corporate problem,” she says. “We, as participants, were company assets from the start.” In my opinion, we weren’t treated well, we were so tired, we were drunk, we were stupid. We were controlled. “We haven’t seen our families.”
She broke down in tears, adding, “What makes me sad about it is how disappointed I was.” I just feel sorry for myself. I wish I could have walked in and said, “Don’t worry, we’ll take you somewhere, you don’t have to worry about anything.”
“I imagine there was, and still is, a major failure of duty of care towards me, not just towards my physical self but towards my spirit self as well.”
“Following the X Factor 2012 live finale, I was not contacted again by either ITV, Freemantle or Syco. I was not offered ongoing mental health support, I was not offered work. I was not offered a second platform from which to launch my little rowboat and restart my life and career. My life is more important because that destroyed it.’
“If the question is, ‘Who failed?’ “I realize that the people who took care of me back then failed me.”
She explained how she feels: “I’ve been in prison for a decade.” Every time someone said, “Are you the girl from X Factor?” “My name, my face became synonymous with The X Factor and this one For me, words were synonymous with my sexual assault.”
“I was ripped out of the greatest moment of my life in the most traumatic way. I didn’t grieve over the opportunities I missed.”
Lucy later recalled writing a letter to ITV, Fremantle, Simon Cowell and Sony shortly after X Factor presenter Caroline Flack took her own life in 2020, telling them she was writing her memoir .
Friends: Lucy said X Factor boss Simon Cowell was “the only one who treated her like a human being” after he apologized to her years after the attack
“I said, ‘If you find me drugged, drunk in a car or in a ditch and I’m dead, it wasn’t me.’
The response she received from ITV began by saying: “We’re sorry the experience you had on the X Factor was so unfortunate.”
“I felt like they put a needle in my side for every ounce of self-esteem I had built up and drained every ounce of self-esteem I had left,” she recalls reading the response.
One bright spot, however, came from a source she thought unlikely at the time – Simon Cowell, who called her after receiving her letter.
“I took the call ready to fight and he said, ‘I’m sorry.’ “So much in my life changed in that moment,” says Lucy.
“The power of someone’s accountability… It stopped raining for the first time in a decade.” I didn’t expect that from him.’
“I joined the great army of participants who said, ‘We hate Simon Cowell.’ He was the only one who treated me like a human being. “He’s like family to me now, it’s so confusing to me because I see the human in him.”
“When Simon asked me what I needed, I didn’t tell him anything, you just did it.”
For information and support for anyone affected by rape or sexual abuse, contact Rape Crisis on 0808 500 2222.