• At the 2020 Brit Awards, Harry Styles paid tribute to the late British television presenter, Caroline Flack, by wearing a black ribbon on his lapel.
  • Flack passed away earlier this month.
  • When the two briefly dated back in 2011, their relationship was highly scrutinized since Styles was 17 years old and Flack was 31.

On Tuesday night, Harry Styles pinned a black ribbon to the lapel of his suit at the 2020 Brit Awards to pay homage to the late Caroline Flack, who passed away earlier this month. While Styles has not explicitly stated the meaning of accoutrement, many fans have speculated that it's for Flack because wearing a black ribbon is commonly known to symbolize remembrance or mourning.

Styles has also yet to make any statement on the passing of Flack, whom he briefly dated in 2011, but his mother, Anne Twist, tweeted a message following the news of her death. "Heartbreaking #ripcarolineflack," she wrote.

The former Love Island host was found dead in her London apartment last weekend, a family lawyer told the Associated Press.

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Caroline Flack
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The British commercial network ITV, which broadcasts Love Island, said in a statement to AP that they were "shocked and saddened by this desperately sad news. ... Caroline was a much-loved member of the ‘Love Island’ team, and our sincere thoughts and condolences are with her family and friends.”

Styles and Flack's relationship was highly scrutinized for its 14-year age gap. At the time, Flack was 31 years old while the former One Direction member was 17 years old.

“I’ve never felt I was much older than Harry," Flack told The Sun on Sunday. "I still feel 18 and I probably act that way half the time. Although it was just a bit of fun we decided it was best to keep it to ourselves as we were both working for Simon Cowell.”

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Chelsey Sanchez
Digital Associate Editor

As an associate editor at HarpersBAZAAR.com, Chelsey keeps a finger on the pulse on all things celeb news. She also writes on social movements, connecting with activists leading the fight on workers' rights, climate justice, and more. Offline, she’s probably spending too much time on TikTok, rewatching Emma (the 2020 version, of course), or buying yet another corset.