Jael Strauss death: Former America’s Next Top Model contestant dies two months after breast cancer diagnosis

Jael Strauss revealed on Facebook that she’d been diagnosed with stage four breast cancer in October

Strauss at the launch party for America’s Next Top Model in 2009 (Getty)

Former America’s Next Top Model contestant Jael Strauss has passed away at the age of 34, just two months after being diagnosed with stage four breast cancer.

The news of Strauss’ passing came from an update on the GoFundMe page that had been set up to raise money for her medical expenses.

“Today we lost our earth angel and she is back in the spirit world from which she came and we know she will be watching over all of us,” it reads.

“She will dance at how we celebrate her life by spreading the love that she lived by daily with a reckless abandon.”

Strauss’ family has requested that people wishing to donate flowers in her memory donate money instead to cover her funeral arrangements and the remaining medical expenses.

The model revealed that she was suffering from stage four breast cancer in a Facebook post on October 5, three days after receiving her diagnosis.

“It has aggressively spread through my body and is incurable,” she wrote.

“With treatment it may prolong my life longer than the ‘few months’ doctors said I could make it.

“I don’t want to die.”

On 22 November, Strauss entered a hospice. “First night in hospice,” she wrote on Facebook.

“So many things I never knew about life. Or death. So many things.”

Strauss took part in the eighth season of America’s Next Top Model in 2007 at the age of 22.

After appearing in the show, Strauss was signed as a model with Hitch Couture.

In 2012, it was reported that she was struggling with an addiction to methamphetamine.

She later appeared on an episode of Dr. Phil, during which an intervention was held for her to discuss her addiction.

The winner of the eighth season of America's Next Top Model, Jaslene Gonzalez, has expressed her condolences with regards to Strauss' passing.

“Guys, I heard about #jaelstrauss passing today and I’m so sad about it,” she tweeted.

“I wish I could of seen her once more. She was going through a whole lot.

“We don’t know for what reasons, but man was she one of the strongest I knew.

“My prayers are with her and her family.”

According to an Avon survey, only 42 per cent of women feel confident knowing how to check for signs of breast cancer on their breasts.

To learn about how you can look out for the early signs of breast cancer, click here.