[Josiah.]

The television personality and former model Charlotte Dawson has been found dead inside her inner-Sydney apartment.

The New Zealand-born celebrity, 47, had a history of depression and made headlines in 2012 when she was admitted to St Vincent’s Hospital after being tormented by the bullying of Twitter trolls.

A police spokesman confirmed a woman’s body had been found just after 11.15 on Saturday morning at an address in Woolloomooloo and that there were no suspicious circumstances.

The former controversial judge on Australia’s Next Top Model had also been the fashion editor for Woman’s Day and style editor for New Idea. She was also an influential campaigner against bullying and for greater health care and awareness.

She had been married to the former Olympic swimmer Scott Miller.

Some of those who had worked closely with her over the past 20 years told Fairfax Media of the person they knew as much more than a blonde media celebrity.

Ben Fordham, who worked with Dawson at Channel Nine, said she was “outrageous, outgoing and outspoken”.

“More than anything she was an outstanding human being,” Fordham said, highlighting her passion and persistence when campaigning for life-saving medical care for patients.

“She enlisted the help of people and ran a million miles an hour at it until the NSW health authority caved in and agreed to operate,” he said. “There’s no question those operations wouldn’t have happened if it wasn’t for Charlotte.”

Bauer executive and former magazine editor Deb Thomas met Dawson in the early ’90s. ‘'I’ve known her for a long, long time, I knew her in her early modelling days.

“She’s always been troubled, I have to say, she had some terrible things happen to her as a young girl.

“It’s such a tragedy for a beautiful young woman’s life to end in such sad circumstances when she had so much ahead of her.”

Foxtel’s executive director of television Brian Walsh knew Dawson for 15 years and worked with her on the network’s Australia’s Next Top Model.

“She was someone young girls looked up to, [they saw] her honesty, openness and vulnerability, which she wore in public,” Walsh said.

Fellow New Zealander Russell Crowe, who lived in the same apartment block in Woolloomooloo and who had been friends with Dawson since they were teenagers, was in a restaurant and broke down in tears when told of her death, according to news.com.au. He later tweeted: “Charlie D ... Just don’t understand.”

In an interview last year, Dawson spoke about her battles with depression.

Friends and celebrities went on Twitter to express their sorrow, including the New Zealand prime minister, John Key, who said he was “shocked” and “saddened” by her death.

Fellow television personality, Jessica Rowe, who has also spoken about her mental health issues, wrote: “Mental illness is a dirty, black dog and she did so much to help countless people.”

Source: The Guardian - http://www.theguardian.com/world/201...ad-sydney-home

[LikeABoatOnWater]

Saw the police cars for this, she died just a few minutes walk from me. Woolloomoolooooooooo!