How Did Annabelle Neilson Die? Everything To Know About The Tragic Death Of The 'Ladies Of London' Star
She had struggled with heroin in the past.
getty How did Annabelle Neilson die?
On July 12, 2018, Annabelle Neilson of Bravo's Ladies of London died at 49 years old. In a statement, her sister, Camila, said the cause of death was a heart attack.
She said at the time, "Very sadly, we have been informed today that my sister Annabelle, died as a result of a heart attack at home last Thursday, It has come as a complete shock, as she had many plans having recently returned from Spain. My parents and I are devastated and shocked by this news. We would ask the media to respect the privacy of our family and Annabelle's close friends during this very difficult time. We will not be making any further statement at this time. We thank you for your consideration."
Ladies of London was a series on Bravo that ran for three seasons, from 2014 to 2017. It followed the lives of both British socialites and American women who had moved to Britain.
While there are currently no plans for any future seasons of the show, Bravo is airing a marathon of it this month for fans to watch during the coronavirus pandemic.
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But, who was Annabelle Neilson, star of the former reality show, and how did she pass away? Here are some details to know about Neilson and her tragic passing.
How did Annabelle Neilson die? She died from a heart attack.
The former reality star died unexpectantly at only 49 in 2018 from a heart attack, as her family confirmed. Soon after her death, tributes for Neilson from her castmates poured in.
On Instagram, Neilson's co-star, Caroline Fleming, posted a throwback photo of her and Neilson with the caption, "My sweet Tinky, no words can express how devastated I feel at loosing you. Sweet delicate soul, you will be sorely missed. It's impossible to comprehend that you are no longer here—we spoke on Wednesday and we planned lunch together next week and instead it's the day of your funeral. I loved you from the moment I met you, such a special friendship you and I shared which I am so grateful for. My father also adored you, and I know he will be there with you in heaven. RIP my darling friend. All our memories are treasured in the depth of my heart."
Another castmate, Sophie Stanbury, wrote, "You will be very missed @annabelleneilson1 to happier times together that I shall always treasure and remember with such fondness, may you find peace with the angels RIP xxxxx."
Adela King also posted a photo of the reality star with the caption, "A Beautiful Soul who is now with her soulmate ..... the times I spent with you may have been few but your warmth, empathy and smile will be etched in my memory forever. Rest in peace now darling and in the arms of angels."
Andy Cohen spoke out on her passing at the time, adding, "I want to get started with some sad news. We found out that Annabelle from Ladies of Londonpassed away. We just found out today. Don't have a lot of details; we just want to send our love to her family. She was unique and spirited and really wonderful to watch and to know. We're just torn up about it here."
Neilson was a model.
Aside from appearing on reality television, she was also a model.
She was very close with Alexander McQueen.
Neilson was close friends with the late fashion designer Alexander McQueen. She was the last person to see him alive before his suicide in 2010.
In 2015 she said, "He was my brother, my boyfriend, my soul mate. Most of the time people called me Mrs. McQueen. Quite often we were sharing a bed." She became McQueen's muse when she was just 22 years old.
She ran in modeling circles.
Neilson was also very close friends with supermodels Kate Moss and Naomi Campbell.
Of Moss, she said, "Kate is my best mate and I love her like a sister. Yes, she’s an icon but to me she’s just Kate. We share clothes, we share everything and her fame has never been an issue. She always looks out for me and I look out for her. We’ve got each other’s backs.”
She wrote children's books.
Neilson wrote a series of children's books called The Me Me Mes. Her inspiration for the books came partly from her own experience with dyslexia.
She said, "Angry Me is a character based on me in part as a child with severe dyslexia — but I think Angry Me evokes the frustrations and feelings for children when they can’t release such a powerful emotion as anger and it can be so many different things that a child can struggle with. Other characters have been based around friends, some family, some godchildren. You do look for inspiration amongst the people close to you.”
Her ex is from a famous family.
Neilson, who was a British aristocrat, shocked high society in 1994 when she eloped to Las Vegas with Nat Rothschild. Rothschild is the only son and heir of Jacob Rothschild. He's in line to become the fifth Baron Rothschild and inherit $661 million upon his father's death.
The former couple met on a beach in India. After three years of marriage, the couple divorced. Neilson reportedly received a generous financial settlement in return for giving up the Rothschild name and signing a confidentiality agreement.
She was British aristocracy.
Neilson's paternal grandmother was the late Queen Mother's second cousin. Her mother was the Marrquesa Campus di Santinelli and her first cousin was the Earl of Warwick.
Neilson was a former addict.
When Neilson was a young teen she was horribly attacked. Her attacker tied her to a tree and beat her for two hours. Her attacker was later convicted of murdering three women.
She said, “The attack lasted for two hours. I was tied to a tree and continually beaten. I looked like the elephant girl by the end of it. I managed to escape with my life but I needed reconstructive surgery because my face was so disfigured.”
After the attack, she was depressed, and by the time she turned 16 years old, she was a heroin addict. She eventually got clean.
Her co-star called her a "tortured soul."
In a 2019 interview, Neilson's former co-star Caroline Stanbury opened up about the late reality star.
Stanbury revealed, “Annabelle was always slightly a tortured soul. Actually, if I really think back to it, the show was not the right platform for someone like Annabelle. Although you want people who have explosive personalities who maybe cope with life differently, you also don’t really want to have people who can’t cope with life. She didn’t have a coping mechanism when we would all have to talk behind her back, she didn’t understand it because she was always the cool girl at school. So something like this was very negative for her and such a very, very negative experience.”
She added, “She couldn’t say in her head, ‘It’s a TV show, It’s a TV show.’ It’s incredibly hard. Somebody like me who went to boarding school and can block stuff out, not deal with my emotions — she could not do that. This was just not a great platform for her.”
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Amy Lamare is a Los Angeles based freelance writer covering entertainment, pop culture, beauty, fashion, fitness, technology, and the intersection of technology, business, and philanthropy.
Editor's Note: This article was originally posted on July 16, 2018 and was updated with the latest information.