Obituary: Anat Rosenberg

Anat Rosenberg: Raucous, witty and loyal

Fully aware of the threat posed by suicide bombings, Anat Rosenberg was worried about visiting her native Israel.

Yet one took her life on the Number 30 bus in Tavistock Square while she was talking on her phone to her boyfriend, John Falding.

He said: "The irony of all these terrible things is that she was afraid of visiting Israel because she was scared of suicide bombings on buses."

The charity administrator, 39, from Finsbury Park, north London had, however, been planning a trip to see her parents in Israel in the autumn.

Instead Arie, 70, and Naomi, 66, flew to Britain and took their daughter's body home for a burial.

Passion for arts

Anat Rosenberg was born in Israel on 22 July 1965. She studied at high school in Jerusalem and completed national service with the Israeli army before training in modern dance.

Her passion was ballet and it was this which drew her to London 18 years ago as the subject for her studies.

The arts and culture in London was a constant source of enjoyment to her, especially dance, opera and theatre.

She was a true friend to everyone she knew. She was a one-off John Falding 'I just knew I had lost her'

Between 1994 and 1995 she took a course in social and community work at Hackney Community College.

A job offering wine samples to customers at Waitrose brought her into contact with Mr Falding, 62, a retired journalist from the Financial Times, who shared many of her interests.

She joined NCH, the children's charity, nearly four years ago as an administrator, helping former residents of children's homes to access records or find relatives.

On the morning of the blasts, she left Mr Falding's flat in Marylebone to go to work.

The two had spent the previous evening watching Twelfth Night together in Regent's Park.

She was evacuated from the Underground at Euston and boarded the bus.

On phone

Mr Falding, on the phone to her at this point, heard distant screams before the line went dead.

But he said afterwards he was glad he was talking to her when it happened.

"Anat was gorgeous and outrageous," Mr Falding said. "She was demanding, disorganised, untidy, unpunctual but she was also vulnerable, loving, supportive and a true friend to everyone she knew. She was a one-off."

She never liked him to come to her north London home because she thought it too messy.

Friends' tributes

And friends have fondly described her as dotty and raucous, yet intelligent, with an obsession for buying bags, jewellery and shoes.

David Campbell, who first met her about five years ago, said: "The first thing I noticed about her when we were first introduced was her striking features.

"Her porcelain complexion and her thick dark hair really made you look twice.

"Her petite-ness also struck me. She was like a little pixie, with a beaming smile."

Mr Campbell said she was very intelligent, very warm and very generous.