A former Home And Away actress was tragically found dead in their apartment.

Annalise Braakensiek, who also starred on Play Your Cards Right with Bruce Forsyth

and was an Australian model, passed away in January 2019. The alarm was raised

when the 46 year old stopped replying to messages, leading friends to contact the police who discovered her at her Sydney home.

Annalise – who appeared in Home And Away in 1998, playing a character called Heavenly – had been out of touch for a few days, leaving friends concerned especially after a string of enigmatic Instagram posts. One of her last social media updates expressed her feelings of turmoil, stating: “Everything seems to feel twisted and upside down at the moment”. Weeks earlier, she wrote in an Instagram post: “Life’s challenges have been deep, dark, difficult, demanding and down right scary lately,” reports the Mirror.

The wellness advocate and jewellery designer also reflected on the tough year she’d had, yet remained hopeful about “new beginnings” in 2019, revealing she had purchased a new home. She penned: “Time to breathe in the new beginnings and let go of the old….. bring on 2019 already I say! ! ! ! Massive thanks to everyone who has supported me through this stormy year.”

In another heartfelt post, as an ambassador for a suicide prevention charity, she expressed gratitude: “Thank you from the bottom of my heart to all of you who have helped me though my dark clouds. Now I’m strong enough to help my loved ones who unfortunately are not in the best place right now. But we will get through this!” Authorities stated there were no suspicious circumstances surrounding Annalise’s death and it is thought she died by suicide.

The star had split from her husband, stockbroker Danny Goldberg, in 2018 after 16 years together. Annalise said her life had fallen “in pieces” since their breakup.

Her inner circle have openly expressed their despair and disbelief over her passing. A week before she died, her pal Adriana Dib caught up with Annalise and found her in good spirits. Speaking to news.com. au, Adriana recalled: “I spoke to Annalise on Wednesday night and I thought she sounded OK. I wasn’t worried at all. We discussed the new year and all the wonderful things we would get to conquer and achieve.”

She continued, sharing her anguish: “To find out today that she’s gone is so devastating, I feel out of body. She brought so much magical love to everyone she knew.” Adriana added: “My life was better for having had her in it. We were kindred. I felt very lucky. The world has lost a genuine beacon of beautiful light.”

Annalise is one of a number of Home And Away stars who have met tragic ends – the sad list also includes Dieter Brummer, Ben Unwin, Jessica Falkholt and Jane Hall.