Exclusive: Ellie Gonsalves: "How 'The Rock' helped me after my dad died"

It’s been two years since Ellie Gonsalves lost her father after he took his own life, and the Australian model says there’s a big name in Hollywood who helped her cope in the aftermath.

Speaking to Be, the 26-year-oldRpple ambassador revealed Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson was there while she grieved, providing a shoulder to lean on and encouraging her to share her personal story.

“He’s been an amazing mentor and incredible friend,” Ellie told Be, adding it’s The Rock who signed her with his agent WME, which helped her land her first major role in Hollywood for film Fighting With My Family, alongside the actor.

"Working with Dwayne, he really did encourage me," she confessed. “He’s been such a mentor to me, and he really did encourage me to share my story and make that a positive thing, make every lesson a positive lesson."

"It was something I struggled to get though, and sharing that with them was really hard and hit me really hard because my dad and I were super close, but I felt I could really lean on Dwayne for support," she shared.

Last year Ellie opened up to her Instagram followers about her father's tragic suicide.

"This is a day which really hits close to home for me because I lost my dad to suicide two years ago and we didn't really think he was capable of doing what he did," she said last September in an emotional video.

"It really did hit us out of nowhere and it really did destroy my life for a really really long time and not a day goes by where I don't think about him and wish that I could just call him."

An already established model, singer and ex-WWE star, acting is the next thing this bubbly brunette has added to her repertoire.

Acknowledging The Rock’s part in getting her a movie gig, she said: “He signed me with his agent at WME and then brought me that as the first project of signing with them”.

And never short of compliments for the big star, she continued: "I’m incredibly grateful that I get to work with something who’s just like that cool, awesome nice down to earth person, he really is how he is on talk shows and interviews he’s such a charismatic fun loving guy”.

Although their relationship was already cemented from the wrestling days, Ellie admitted that she still got a little nervous working alongside the Hollywood heavyweight.

"Everyone gets nerves and excitement on their first day, but just to be able to work with someone as professional as that."

"I would have to pinch myself and sometimes think ‘Omg this is so cool’" she told Be.

Fighting With My Family is a comedy-drama which follows the life of a former wrestler and his family who make a living performing at small venues around the country, while his kids dream of joining World Wrestling Entertainment.

The film is set to be released early 2018.

But until then, Ellie is also keeping busy with one of her other new project - promoting new talent marketing platform Rpple.

Ellie will be appearing at the Portsea Polo in Melbourne on Saturday.

For confidential help, call Lifeline at 13 11 14 or visit [https://www.lifeline.org.au/](https://www.lifeline.org.au/)

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