A former Vogue model was being comforted last night after her partner fell to his death from a North Sea platform.
Scaffolder Sean Anderson was part of a team carrying out routine maintenance on BP’s Unity platform when the tragic accident happened.
The 43-year-old dad – who has been described as a “true gentleman” – was working for industrial services firm Cape when he reportedly fell from the installation, which lies 97 miles off the coast of Aberdeen.
His partner, Jayne Windsor Anderson, shot to fame in the late 1990s when she was discovered by internationally renowned London model agency, Select.
She modelled for numerous glossy magazines across the world, including Elle, Tatler, Harpers & Queen and Marie Claire, and starred in adverts for designers including Armani, Balenciaga, Fendi, GAP, Kurt Geiger, Manolo Blahnik, Nicole Farhi Paul Smith and Lacroix Jeans.
The couple embarked on their relationship as her career was taking off and she told interviewers about the world they had been thrown into and her rags to riches story – from leaving school with no qualifications to working with some of the world’s biggest designers in Paris and Milan.
“It’s like it’s not happening to me, Jayne Windsor, but to someone else,” she said.
Most recently, she was a judge at the Miss Newcastle pageant in 2013.
Yesterday, friends and colleagues of Mr Anderson paid tribute to him on social networking sites, describing him as one of the good guys, and a man whose family meant everything to him.
Greg Oliver said: “Tragic news. A brilliant lad. He was so proud of his family.
“My thoughts are with them.”
Paul Wood added: “Can’t believe it. Top bloke and always cracking jokes.”
Thomas Brown described him as a “true gentleman”.
Simon Hicks, UK Managing Director of Cape, said the company was supporting Mr Anderson’s partner and family in every way possible following the accident, which happened in the early hours of Thursday morning.
“We remain shocked and saddened by what happened,” he said.
“Sean was a popular, hard-working and experienced employee. His co-workers are obviously shaken and saddened by the incident and we are making sure they too have all the support they need.
“We don’t know how or why this incident happened, but we will co-operate fully with Police Scotland and the HSE in their investigation.”
It is believed Mr Anderson – who lived at Tyne and Wear, but spent much of his time working out of the north-east – was part of a 15-man crew on the normally unmanned rig at the time of the incident.
A statement released by police said: “Police Scotland is carrying out a joint investigation with partners including the Health and Safety Executive under the direction of the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service to determine the full circumstances.”
A joint team of Police Scotland and HSE staff have already visited the platform.
A spokeswoman for HSE said: “Police and HSE will report to the Crown Office as and when the investigation concludes.”
The Unity platform is part of the Forties pipeline system and lies close to the Forties oil field, about 97 miles from Aberdeen.