'I am alive:' Poonam Pandey says 'Cervical Cancer didn't claim me ...

Poonam Pandey, whose agency had claimed she passed away due to cervical cancer, on Saturday took to Instagram to post a video saying “I am Alive". Actor Poonam Pandey, who hit the headlines in 2011 with her declaration that she would strip if India won the cricket World Cup, was reported to have died of cervical cancer at the age of 32, by her publicist said on Friday.

Notably, Poonam Pandey's publicist didn't have details of Poonam Pandey's death, and later released a statement claiming that all of Poonam Pandey's family members were ‘missing in action’. 

“I feel compelled to share something significant with you all - I am here, alive. Cervical Cancer didn’t claim me", Poonam Pandey posted, a day after the news of her apparent death broke internet, left her fans disheartened.

Talking about Cervical Cancer, Poonam Pandey on her Instagram post said, “It has claimed the lives of thousands of women who stemmed from a lack of knowledge on how to tackle this disease. Unlike some other cancers, Cervical Cancer is entirely preventable. The key lies in the HPV vaccine and early detection tests."

"We have the means to ensure no one loses their life to this disease. Let’s empower one another with critical awareness and ensure every woman is informed about the steps to take. Visit the link in the bio to delve deeper into what can be done. Together, let’s strive to put an end to the devastating impact of the disease and bring" Poonam Pandey captioned the video.

News of Poonam Pandey's death came a day after Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced the government’s plans to focus on vaccination against cervical cancer for girls aged 9 to 14 as part of her interim Budget 2024.

On Friday, internet found itself divided over the news of Poonam Pandey's death. The doubts began soon after with several Instagram followers saying the news could well be fake because she was last seen only three days ago in Goa and frequently before that as well.

Poonam Pandey was active on social media right through January with posts on the Ram temple, the Lakshadweep-Maldives controversy and her identity as a "Bharat citizen". There were videos of her swimming, riding a bike, speaking about "Bigg Boss" winner and her former co-contestant from the reality show "Lock Upp" Munawwar Faruqui and several appearances at events.

An email purportedly from Poonam Pandey's manager Nikita Sharma went to several media houses confirming that the actor had died of cervical cancer. However, the phone number with that email turned out to be wrong.

Cervical cancer is the second most common in women in India and makes up for close to 18 per cent of the new cancer cases, according to the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), WHO's cancer agency.

Here’s your comprehensive 3-minute summary of all the things Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said in her Budget speech: Click to download!

Published: 03 Feb 2024, 12:37 PM IST

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