Jennifer Hawkins' mother has been diagnosed with cancer.

Australia’s Next Top Model judge Jennifer Hawkins has learned her mother Gail has kidney cancer.

Gail Hawkins was diagnosed with kidney cancer last week, and will now undergo surgery to remove one of her kidneys.

Hawkins’ manager confirmed the news in a statement.

“Jen and her family are shocked at the news but know that Gail is in the best of hands,” manager Sean Anderson told the Daily Telegraph.

Australia’s Next Top Model judge Hawkins, 31, is scheduled to work in the Myer Spring/Summer 2016 fashion launch on Thursday night.

Hawkins will be by her mother’s side during her recovery in Newcastle, Hawkins’ hometown, but will walk the runway at the Myer show just hours after the surgery.

Myer has apparently allowed the former Miss Universe winner to shift some of her work commitments in the wake of the shocking news.

“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 number one priority,” Anderson told Fairfax Media.

Hawkins is the youngest of the family’s four children. Her two brothers and sister still live in Newcastle.

Hawkins married long-term partner Jake Wall in Bali in 2013. The pair currently live in Sydney.

Our thoughts are with Jennifer Hawkins, her mother Gail and their family.

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