'Our beautiful girl': Bridie Carter mourns McLeod's Daughters co-star Rachael Carpani after actress' death at 45

Rachael Carpani's McLeod's Daughters castmate has issued a heartfelt tribute to the star following her "unexpected" death.

The Australian actress' family confirmed the news yesterday, revealing she died unexpectedly but peacefully on December 7 after a battle with chronic illness.

Bridie Carter, 54, who played Tess Silverman McLeod in the iconic Aussie series, has paid tribute to "the baby" of the McLeod's family in a heartfelt Instagram post.

"This is the most difficult post," Carter began.

"In love and respect for our beautiful Rach, in prayer and with the deepest sorrow and profound sympathy for the Carpani family ... Rest In Peace our beautiful girl….the 'baby' of our MD family….We love you, we cherish you."

Carter expressed her grief at having outlived her younger ex-co-star, who joined the cast of McLeod's at just 21 years old.

"This is the wrong order of things," the actress continued.

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"We know Rach will not only be missed immeasurably by her family, by us, but she is loved and will be missed by you all around the world.

"We are better people for having the privilege of sharing time with you.

"May your blessed spirit, so vivid, so full of life, laughter, joy, generosity, unique talent, energy, fervour, intelligence, resilience, courage and great humour, and a gentle humility, may you rest in peace."

And Carter was not the only McLeod's castmate to pay her respects to the late star.

Matt Passmore – who played heartthrob Marcus Turner from 2006 to 2009 – also made a brief but heartbreaking statement.

Their working relationship became a real-life romance during their time on the hit show, with the pair going on to date for five years between 2006 and 2011.

Passmore shared a simple yet heartfelt statement to Instagram, posting the same tribute photo that had initially been shared by Carpani's sister.

"Farewell my friend. All the love I have to the Carpanis, friends and family. The greatest gift you gave was knowing you," he said.

In the initial post shared by the late actress' family, they requested privacy during the grieving process, informing fans that they'd be making no further statements.

Carpani was previously hospitalised in 2021, sharing with fans that she had undergone surgery after experiencing abdominal pain.

"I was admitted to emergency with acute abdominal pain just over a week ago and spent a few days in the ICU," the star revealed at the time.

Though she didn't name the illness that caused it, she shared that she'd been admitted to the surgical ward after "allowing herself to get quite ill."

"Basically it was a case of me not listening to my body and the pain (I tend to work through pain!)"

A pinned post on her Instagram account shared in March 2024 also made references to her seemingly ongoing illness.

In the post she talked about being back in front of the camera with "no hospital gown," and "no awesome surgery socks."

Carpani starred as Jodi Fountain McLeod on the much-loved series for all eight seasons, and became a true fan favourite during that time.

Most recently, she joined the cast of Aussie soap Home and Away as Claudia Salini in 2024.

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