Annalise Braakensiek death: Home and Away actress and model found dead in Sydney flat

Model, actor and designer fought public battle with depression and had recently become mental health charity ambassador

Australian model and actress Annalise Braakensiek has been found dead at her home in Sydney.

Police were called to her apartment on Sunday afternoon after friends and family raised concerns about her whereabouts.

There are no suspicious circumstances surrounding the 46-year-old’s death, according to the ABC.

Braakensiek found success modelling in the US and Europe after being “discovered” as a 16-year-old by a photographer at Sydney’s Bondi Beach, and later began acting – starring in Australian soap opera Home and Away as well as the SBS program Fat Pizza.

She also made regular appearances on panel shows and in comedies. Between 2002 and 2003, she was a co-host alongside Bruce Forsyth on UK game show Play Your Cards Right.

She had also been a lingerie and jewellery designer, as well as promoting animal and cancer charities.

She was a high-profile figure in Australia and fought a public battle with depression.

She split from her husband stockbroker Danny Goldberg last year after 16 years, posting to her 39,000 Instagram followers afterwards: “I don’t know if a broken heart mends or learns to live in pieces”.

In December she wrote: “Life’s challenges have been deep, dark, difficult, demanding and down right scary lately.”

In 2017 she became an ambassador for RUOK? An organisation which encourages people to ask questions about mental health.

On their website, she wrote: “I urge you to remember that even the smallest gesture, the simple sincere question of R U OK? can quite literally turn a life around.”

On learning of her death, the organisation said she was “loved and respected”.

“We are still processing the news we have heard today,” said chief executive Brendan Maher.

“We couldn’t have asked for a more genuine, kind and sincere spokesperson,” he added.