A royal portrait artist has spoken about how his sister took her own life a week before her destination wedding. Darren Baker, 43, who has painted the Queen and Prince Charles, told how his sister Leanne, 35, was found dead at home in Huddersfield just days before the family was due to fly to Greece for her wedding to fiancé David Jackson, in June 2013.’One minute we were all looking forward to her Greek island wedding, the next we were planning her funeral,’ he said. ‘It felt unbelievably cruel.’ Speaking to FEMAIL, Darren told how his sister had previously suffered from depression and that in the lead up to her wedding she had felt anxious about being the centre of attention on the big day. Darren Baker, 43, told how his sister Leanne, 35, pictured together, was found dead at home in Huddersfield just days before her destination wedding to fiancé David Jackson, in June 2013 Darren, whose work sells for tens of thousands of pounds, is best known for his 2011 portrait of the Queen, pictured, which was commissioned to mark 90 years of the Royal British LegionThe artist, whose work sells for tens of thousands of pounds, also opened up about his own mental health struggles, admitting the world can seem ‘black’ even though he knows he has a ‘wonderful life’ with his wife Abigail and daughter Lily. A month before the nuptials, Leanne had taken an overdose in a suicide attempt and was admitted to hospital and later seen by mental health services.She was referred for home-based intensive treatment by a Community Psychiatric team who were in contact touch with her daily.Darren, pictured, also opened up about his own mental health strugglesDarren said: ‘The day before Leanne died, I’d spoken to her on the phone and she was in very bad way. Her depression seemed to have really taken hold. ‘I was very worried about her but my parents were with her, so I knew she was being well looked after by them and David.’On the day of her death, Leanne was left alone at home while David went out to see his mother. When he returned, he found his fiancée had hung herself. Darren continued: ‘There are no words to describe the crushing loss we all felt afterwards. The sheer physical pain was unbearable. ‘My parents had lost their daughter, David had lost the woman he thought he would spend the rest of his life with and I’d not only been robbed of my little sister, but my best friend too.’Darren is one of Britain’s most collectible 21st century artists, with his work displayed in the halls of Downing Street and the House of Lords. Darren told how his sister (pictured as children) had previously suffered from depression and that in the lead up up to her wedding she had felt anxious about being the centre of attention Speaking on his own struggles, Darren admitted the world can seem ‘black’ even though he knows he has a ‘wonderful life’ with his wife Abigail and daughter Lily. Pictured left-right: Darren’s father, his wife Abigail, Darren, Leanne and their mother, on his wedding dayThe artist founded The Leanne Baker Trust in memory of his sister (left together as children) and is determined to help others and break down the stigma surrounding mental illness. Pictured right, Darren and Leanne’s parents outside his London galleryHe made headlines with his hyper realistic painting of the Queen, which was commissioned to mark the 90th anniversary of the Royal British Legion in 2011. Last year he painted a portrait of Prince Charles to mark the royal’s 70th birthday. Speaking on his own mental health struggles, Darren, of Barnacle, Warwickshire, admitted he has faced panic attacks and spells of debilitating anxiety. ‘My most recent attack was during a family holiday to Morocco in April this year,’ Darren said. ‘I began having severe panic attacks and my heart was racing. ‘It was the most harrowing and traumatic feeling. My whole world, despite knowing what a wonderful life I have, went black. It felt as though everything was falling in around me and I didn’t know how to stop it.’ Last year Darren painted this portrait of Prince Charles to mark the royal’s 70th birthday This extraordinarily lifelike painting of Jonny Wilkinson fetched £50,000 at auction in 2014 Rugby player Dylan Hartley, pictured, is among Darren’s other high profile portrait subjects This extraordinary drawling shows footballers Gareth Bale, left, and Cristiano RonaldoIt wasn’t the first time Darren experienced severe anxiety. He first recognised the problem in his late teens while studying at art college and suffered his first mental breakdown when he was 25.He continued: ‘It doesn’t matter how successful you are or how happy you are, when that black cloud comes over you, its all-consuming. It totally paralyses you mentally and physically and it feels like there is no way out. You go completely numb and all you want is to escape the world.’I know at that point I just need to talk to people about how I’m feeling to deviate my mind away from those emotions.’The artist founded The Leanne Baker Trust in memory of his sister and is determined to help others and break down the stigma surrounding mental illness. This week he will host the ‘Art & Mind’ dinner at Kensington Palace where original, unseen artwork highlighting suicide, including the one above, will be auctioned to raise money for The Leanne Baker Trust and the mental health charity, MovemberTwo more of the pieces of art inspired by suicide that will be auctioned in London this weekHe said: ‘When Leanne took her own life, it rocked our family to the core. We were utterly heartbroken and devastated that she felt that was her only way out.’ This week he will host the ‘Art & Mind’ dinner at Kensington Palace where original, unseen artwork highlighting suicide will be auctioned to raise money for The Leanne Baker Trust and the mental health charity, Movember.There will also be original work from Damien Hirst, David Hockney, the Prince of Wales and Nelson Mandela, alongside collectible prints from Banksy and Andy Warhol.Darren added: ‘If the event helps just one other person and prevents somebody from committing suicide, then all the hard work will have been worth it and my sister’s death won’t have been vain.’To support Darren visit: www.leannebakertrust.org. If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article then you can call the Samaritans on 116 123, alternatively you can visit the website at by clicking here.
Queen’s portrait artist reveals his sister killed herself a week before her destination wedding
