Jennifer Marshall has lamented her absence from season five of Stranger Things because it would have helped her "obtain health insurance"

Hailing the role as an "opportunity of a lifetime", she said in a statement to People magazine: "It would have helped me not only financially, but would have been a mental and emotional uplift after battling cancer for almost two years. Either way, no one is entitled to a role, cancer or not.

"My heart remains grateful, and I will always give those involved in the decision-making the benefit of the doubt."

And in a post on Instagram, Jennifer stressed her cancer diagnosis wasn't why she hadn't been asked back for the final episodes, which saw Max finally wake from her coma and reunite with her friends to face Vecna.

She wrote: "I had cancer, I get it. But I was in remission during the shooting of season five.

"Shooting would have helped me obtain my health insurance through the union.

"Maybe they had too many characters, idk but obv Susan Hargrove is THE WORST MOTHER EVER LMAO.(sic)"

The actress revealed she had filmed a moment at Max's bedside in the hospital but it "wasn't a full-fledged scene."

She clarified: "It was something we shot during season four."

In 2022, the Navy veteran praised the "understanding and supportive" cast and crew on Stranger Things while shooting season four amid her diagnosis of stage 3 melanoma.

She thanked Sadie for showing her "kindness and compassion", while creators Ross and Matt Duffer had "offered their well wishes and urged me to contact them if I needed anything."

She added on Facebook: "Such lovely people I'm thrilled to know and have worked under."

Meanwhile, Sadie recently gave her own opinion on why her on-screen mom hadn't been involved in season five.

She told Vulture: "It's kind of common for the parents on the show: You just don't know where they are except for Karen Wheeler.

"My theory is that Max's mom must have disappeared or died at some point in the rift at the end of season four, because it goes through the trailer park."