(Image Credit: Getty Images/Dr. Phil)

Six years after her striking beauty made her a finalist on season eight of "America's Next Top Model," Jael Strauss is fighting an addiction to methamphetamine, her family told Dr. Phil McGraw.

Strauss, 28, who finished sixth on the hit show in 2007, looks almost unrecognizable in a preview for an upcoming episode of "Dr. Phil."

"Do the drugs get her and take her life? Or do we get her and save her life?" the self-help guru asks in the preview.

As the former model walked toward the stage on the arm of an escort, she seemed to change her mind about the TV appearance and took off running.

Cameras and Dr. Phil followed Strauss onto the Paramount lot where Dr. Phil was able to sit down and have a talk with the former model behind a dumpster.

While filming "America's Next Top Model," Strauss dealt with the death of a close friend who died of an overdose.

At the time, Strauss said "there was never a question" whether she would stay in the competition.

"My friend is gone and I am still here living life to the fullest," she said.

The "Dr. Phil" show that features Strauss airs Thursday.