Former 'America's Next Top Model' Jael Strauss Talks Meth Addiction On 'Dr. Phil'

by UInterviewSeptember 14, 2012, 12:00 amNews >

No one wants to go from being a contestant on America's Next Top Model with Tyra Banks, 38, to being a guest on Dr. Phil, but that's exactly what happened to former ANTM Cycle 8's Jael Strauss, 28, whose family reached out to Dr. Phil, hosted by television personality, author and pop psychologist Phil Calvin McGraw, 62, just five years after Jael finished in fifth place on ANTM.

Jael had remained in the competition despite the fact that a close friend of hers died of a drug overdose during filming. She also reappeared on America's Next Top Model in Cycle 10 as a cheerleader, but now things have taken a different turn for Jael, as her appearance on Thursday's Dr. Phil revealed.

Not only has Jael descended deep into her meth, coke and painkiller addiction, but she's stripping to pay for the drugs, and when her family tried to intervene on Dr. Phil, she turned and walked out of the studio, prompting Dr. Phil to follow a guest outside for the first time in the program's history.

It turns out that Jael's mother, who showed up on the program as part of the intervention, used to do cocaine with Jael and her friends when she was young. Dr. Phil also referred to something cryptic that happened when Jael was 10 years old, which he seemed to be implying was sexual abuse.

Cari Dee English, 27, who won Cycle 7 of America's Next Top Model, shared her thoughts about Jael's devastating case and how ANTM — and Banks in particular — might have contributed to her deteriorating conditions.

"Tyra won’t do anything. She provided a wonderful platform for girls to have a chance at their dream, but, after there is no 'Tyra Mail,'" wrote English, reports Gawker. I had to guide myself, and even though I won a model competition I still had no idea what the modeling BUSINESS was like. I had no idea what the industry was really like. I was famous, but no one wanted to take my picture."

English went on to say, "They should have evaluated [Jael] a lot more before letting her on the show. All they saw was a personality good for television. Well, this hopefully will save at least her life and someone watching. Everything happens for a reason."

Watch a clip from Jael's intervention here: