Ivana Trump, the former wife of ex-United States President Donald Trump, died at her home in Manhattan, New York, at the age of 73.

Mr Trump announced the death in a statement on Truth Social, his conservative social media platform founded after his exit from Twitter.

“I am very saddened to inform all of those that loved her, of which there are many, that Ivana Trump has passed away at her home in New York City,” Mr Trump said. “She was a wonderful, beautiful, and amazing woman, who led a great and inspirational life.”

Mrs Trump was found at the bottom of the staircase and believed to have suffered cardiac arrest, though the medical examiner’s office will determine the official cause of death.

The police said there were no signs of forced entry into the home and that the death appeared to be accidental.

In a family statement posted on Facebook, her children Eric, Donald Jr. and Ivanka Trump, wrote, “Our mother was an incredible woman — a force in business, a world-class athlete, a radiant beauty, and caring mother and friend.”

Ms Trump (formerly Ivana Marie Zelníčková) had been a competitive skier, She worked as a model in the early ’70s, and met Mr Trump in New York City in 1976. 

Ms Trump had worked with the former president on several of his early projects, including the development of Trump Tower in Manhattan and the Trump Taj Mahal casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

She was the vice president of interior design for his company, the Trump Organisation, and managed one of his most prized properties, the Plaza Hotel.

The couple split in 1992, after Mr Trump’s widely publicised affair with Marla Maples, whom he later married. 

Ms Trump invested in real estate and wrote several books, including ‘The Best Is Yet to Come: Coping With Divorce and Enjoying Life Again’ (1995) and, most recently, ‘Raising Trump’ (2017), a memoir of her marriage.