Vivek Oberoi recalls being ‘shattered’ after ‘childhood sweetheart’ died of cancer at 17: ‘I refused to accept she was gone’

Vivek recounted how her untimely death left him heartbroken. “I kept trying to call her, but she wasn’t answering. She had mentioned earlier that she wasn’t feeling well, and I thought it was just a cold. When I couldn’t reach her or her family, I called her cousin, who told me she was in the hospital. I rushed there. We had been in a relationship for 5–6 years, and she was the girl of my dreams. Then I found out she was in the final stage of acute lymphoblastic leukemia. It was a complete shock. Despite everything we tried, she passed away within two months. I was broken and shattered.”

He added, “Her death affected me so deeply that, for a long time, I would see her in random people walking by, even though I was there at her cremation. I had closure, but I refused to accept that she was gone. What helped me was working with children battling cancer.” Vivek explained how this painful experience reshaped his outlook on life and relationships and since then, he made it a point to cherish every moment with his loved ones.

In 2010, Vivek married Priyanka Alva. The couple is now parents to two children—Vivaan Veer and Ameya Nirvana—and they currently reside in Dubai.