Former English cricket captain Andrew Strauss has remembered his wife Ruth's "loving" and "caring" nature after she died with her family in Australia from a rare form of lung cancer, aged 46.
The Australian-born actor married the former English cricketer in 2003 after they met in Sydney while Strauss was playing club cricket.
In a statement released by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), Strauss said he and their children Sam and Luca "will miss her terribly".
"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," he said.
"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."
Ms Strauss had been receiving treatment for the rare form of cancer, and in October Strauss stepped down from his position as English cricket director in order to spend more time with his family.
In the statement, Andrew Strauss said a foundation would be established to fund research into the "terrible disease" which had claimed his wife's life, and offer support to patients and families.
Strauss captained the English cricket team between 2009 and 2012, before retiring from professional cricket to take up a position as England cricket director in 2015.
The news of Ms Strauss's death has prompted an outpouring of support from the international cricket community including former Australian cricketer Michael Clarke and Strauss's successor as English cricket director, Michael Vaughan.
ECB chief executive Tom Harrison paid tribute to Ms Strauss as an "extraordinary and inspiration person".
"[She] will be greatly missed by everyone whose life she touched, including her many friends in cricket," he said.
"Our love, thoughts and prayers are with Andrew and their two sons, Sam and Luca, at this extremely difficult time."
Ms Strauss appeared in stage productions in Australia and Britain, as well as the popular TV police series Blue Heelers and the 2003 film Watermark.
