Ruth Strauss, the wife of former England captain Andrew Strauss, has died following a battle with cancer.

The former actress, who was 46, was diagnosed with a rare form of the disease in December 2017.

Strauss stepped down from his position as director of cricket with the England and Wales Cricket Board in October in order to spend more time with her as she fought the condition. The couple married in 2003 and have two children, Sam and Luca.

A statement from Andrew Strauss released via the England and Wales Cricket Board on Saturday said: “It is with great sadness and immense grief that we have to announce that Ruth passed away today as a result of her rare lung cancer. Sam, Luca and I will miss her terribly.

“Anyone who has met Ruth will know how loving, caring and passionately protective she was of her family and it gives us huge comfort that she was in Australia, the land of her birth, surrounded by those who love her, in her final moments.”