For the 31-year-old model, Gail will be at the top of her mind as she struts down the coveted Myer Spring/Summer launch catwalk on Thursday.
Jen will jet home to Newcastle on Wednesday to wish her mum a safe operation before she undergoes surgery on Thursday morning, where she will have one of her kidneys removed.
The Australia’s Next Top Model star’s manager Sean Anderson confirmed the sad news to the Daily Telegraph.
“Jen and her family are shocked at the news but know that Gail is in the best of hands.”
Jennifer adores her mum, Gail, saying: “My mum is wonderful.. because she is such a beautiful gentle soul, selfless and caring beyond words.”
Jen has been the face of Myer for over eight years, and while her mother recovers in Newcastle Private Hospital, the consummate professional will continue with the show.
The famous Australian department store has tweaked the former Miss Universe’s schedule to adhere to Gail’s timetable.
“The Myer team have been incredibly supportive and have shown great flexibility in rescheduling some of her Spring Summer parade commitments this week so she can be with her family, which is her No. 1 priority,” Sean added in his comment to the newspaper.
While Myer’s Daniel Bracken voiced his support for Jen saying: “On behalf of myself and the wider Myer family we wish Jen and her mother Gail our very best during this difficult time.”
The blonde beauty hard at work for Myer
No doubt her ANTM colleague Cheyenne Tozzi is thinking of Jen during this time. The reality show mentor’s mum, Yvonne Tozzi, has also battled cancer.
Last April the 26-year-old shared this sweet message about her mum: “Not one day goes by that we don’t either Skype 1000 times or talk on the phone, you beat cancer and brain tumours because your a strong woman and your hilarious and fun and always have a sense of humour [sic] in the worst times.”
Meanwhile Jennifer, who has been married to Jake Wall since 2013, may live in the bright lights of Sydney, but she still calls Newcastle “home.”
The leggy blonde is incredibly close to her mum; often visiting her parents over the weekends at the family home in the Newcastle suburb of Holmesville, where she and her three older siblings were raised.
In fact, Jen has gone on record to credit her family for helping her handle fame and success.
Gail and Jake couldn’t be more proud of Jen, who says, “Family is everything!”
“My home is the roots of who I am,” she said.
“When I go home, I stay at my mum’s house, and do what they do, and stay connected to the people I love.”
Since receiving the cancer diagnosis, Jen has taken to Instagram to share a series of poignant snaps of her loved ones, in particular her mum, Gail.
In one heartfelt post she captioned a snap: “Family is everything.”
Our thoughts are with the Hawkins family at this tough time.
Jen may be a famed model, but for her happiness is when she is with her loved ones!
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