Mumbai: Model-turned Bollywood actor Poonam Pandey died of cervical cancer at Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh on Thursday night.   She was 32.

The model’s team also posted a statement on her official Instagram page which read as follows; “This morning is a tough one for us. Deeply saddened to inform you that we have lost our beloved Poonam to cervical cancer. Every living form that ever came in contact with her was met with pure love and kindness. In this time of grief, we would request privacy while we remember her fondly for all that we shared,” the statement said.

With over a billion followers on social media, the death of Poonam Pandey shook the internet with many of her fans posting condolence messages, while some expressed their shock.

She shot to fame during the 2011 Cricket World Cup when she announced to strip if India won the final.

In 2022, she drew wide attention with a stint in the Kangana Ranaut-led reality show ‘Lock Upp’. She also acted in some Kannada films.

Vaccination for Cervical Cancer

Interestingly, in a bid to prevent the occurrence of cervical cancer, the Central Government has announced that it would bring down the price of HPV vaccine in order to encourage vaccination among girls in the age group of 9 to 14 years.

The announcement was made by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman while presenting the Interim Budget-2024 yesterday.

“Our Government will encourage vaccination for girls in the age group of 9 to 14 years for prevention of cervical cancer,” Nirmala Sitharaman said.