Good Morning America co-anchor Michael Strahan has a daughter who has spent the past years bravely fighting cancer.
But now, Isabella Strahan has shared a new series of photos from her travels abroad — and people online can’t believe how much she’s transformed since her battle with serious illness.
At 21, Isabella Strahan — daughter of “Good Morning America” co-anchor Michael Strahan — is stepping back into the public eye, not from a hospital room but from the warm, sunlit streets of Spain.
In October 2023, she learned that she had medulloblastoma, an aggressive brain tumor that forms in the cerebellum, the part of the brain responsible for balance, coordination, and movement.
Michael Strahan, a father of four, reflected on what it was like to learn that his daughter had brain cancer.
“As a parent, you’re scared. Oh my, you’re just scared,” he says in the episode. He adds, “It never occurred to us that it would be cancer. I’ll be honest with you, just looking at the trajectory at that point of her life — and we have no history of anything bad in the family.”
But almost a year after completing treatment for a brain tumor, Isabella is slowly reclaiming her life with a calm confidence and a fresh sense of style. From a shaved head to soft curls, and from a quiet recovery to a gentle reintroduction to the world, her journey isn’t just a return, it’s an evolution that’s still unfolding.
In one of her newest Instagram posts, Isabella appeared in a rich, oversized coat trimmed with faux fur, layered over a cream-colored turtleneck. Her natural curls, now grown into soft, springy coils, frame her face and glow in the golden light.
She completed the look with gold hoop earrings, jeans, and dark sunglasses. “& @sophialstrahan take on Madrid,” she wrote. But what struck fans most wasn’t just the outfit, it was her radiance.
Followers poured into the comments section with praise. One wrote, “Dude keep ur hair like this forever ur an icon [sic],” while another added, “I absolutely love your short hair!” A third chimed in, “Omg the hair slicks back!!”
Others shared messages of love and relief:
“Oh my gosh!!! GORGEOUS!! 😍🥰🤗”
“Happy for your good health. Be well sweet girl!”
“Isabella you are thriving! You are Beautiful! God Bless You Always [sic]! ❤️🙏”
Didn’t look like it used to
Since Isabella’s diagnosis in October 2023, the experience has transformed not only her health but her relationship with herself.
In an exclusive interview with People on October 30, the young woman opened up about how cancer changed her feelings about beauty, especially her hair. Now the first ambassador for F.A.S.T. Haircare’s new growth line, Isabella admitted that her curls used to feel like a defining feature.
“It was strawberry, red auburn and people would always comment on the color, the length, the texture,” she said. “So when I didn’t have it, I was like, ‘Oh no. I’m never gonna be pretty again.’”
When her hair began to grow back, it didn’t look like it used to. It appeared first as jet-black, pin-straight strands before slowly becoming curlier and lighter, a phenomenon cancer survivors often call “chemo curls.”
Now embracing a short, curly afro, Isabella says the journey has been both empowering and complicated. She sometimes misses being able to pull her hair back easily, but she’s learning to appreciate its new texture.
“I really value my hair now because I do think I took it for granted before,” she said. “I just want to protect this hair really well.”
After experiencing the trauma of losing it once, she now prioritizes hydration, strength, and gentle care, determined to nurture every new coil that grows in.
Her commitment to protecting her hair comes after months of grueling treatment that left her bald, a reality she shared openly with viewers. In a vlog posted June 15, 2024, she recorded the moment she completed her final round of chemotherapy.
“We’re going to go ring the bell now”
Dressed in soft pink-and-white striped pajamas, Isabella lay quietly in her hospital bed, hooked up to machines, exhausted, pale, yet hopeful. Reflecting on what she’d endured, she whispered, “This is a long journey, but made it.”
But later in the video, everything changed. Wearing all black, she walked through a hospital hallway filled with cheers, confetti, music, and hand-painted signs. Nurses and loved ones clapped as she approached the bell that every cancer patient dreams of ringing.
“We’re going to go ring the bell now,” she told viewers, glowing with emotion. “My confetti parade is really fun, and I love all my nurses… It’s a great day.”
Her father Michael, his partner Kayla Quick, and her twin Sophia stood with her, celebrating the end of a brutal and defining chapter, all while knowing healing would continue long after the celebration.
Just a few weeks later, Isabella posted another update, this time sitting calmly in a car, wearing a white tank top and bright red nails. Then she delivered the words she had been waiting to hear.
“It was a great, great scan. Everything was clear, cancer-free, and everything is great,” she said, lifting her hand in an “Okay” gesture.
But the joy came with a surprising sadness. She admitted how much she already missed the people who had cared for her day after day.
“I miss my doctors already and everyone who’s helped me because they’re all so nice. Like I feel like I’m just saddened today knowing that I wasn’t going to be going back for a while, cuz I love them so much.”
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