The husband of Kate Spade, the American designer who died on Tuesday, has released a statement that addressed his late wife’s struggle with depression.

Andy Spade said that he and his daughter Bea were “devastated by her loss, and can’t even begin to fathom life without her”.

The handbag and fashion designer, 55, was found dead in her New York apartment by housekeeping staff in what officials called an apparent suicide.

“Kate suffered from depression and anxiety for many years,” the statement said. “She was actively seeking help and working closely with her doctors to treat her disease, one that takes far too many lives.

“We were in touch with her the night before and she sounded happy. There was no indication and no warning that she would do this. It was a complete shock. And it clearly wasn’t her. There were personal demons she was battling.”

Spade met her future husband and business partner Andy at a department store where she was working in 1983. They moved to New York in the mid-1980s and she launched Kate Spade Handbags in 1993. The purchase of one of the handbags soon became a coming of age ritual for a generation of American women.

In the statement, Andy explained that although they had been living separately for the past 10 months, they spoke or saw each other every day and co-parented their daughter together.

“Our daughter was our priority,” he said. “We were not legally separated, and never even discussed divorce. We were best friends trying to work through our problems in the best way we knew how.

“We were together for 35 years. We loved each other very much and simply needed a break.”

“This is the truth,” he added. “Anything else that is out there right now is false.”

He stressed that she had not been abusing any substances or alcohol, nor had there been any business problems.

“I have yet to see any note left behind and am appalled that a private message to my daughter has been so heartlessly shared with the media,” he said.

“My main concern is Bea and protecting her privacy as she deals with the unimaginable grief of losing her mother. Kate loved Bea so very much.”