Vivek Oberoi reveals how losing childhood sweetheart to cancer at 17 shattered him: 'I envisioned us getting married'

Vivek Oberoi spoke about the death of his childhood sweetheart, who succumbed to cancer when they were both teenagers.

Actor Vivek Oberoi has opened up on a traumatic part of his adolescent life when he lost his first girlfriend and childhood sweetheart to cancer. In a recent interview, Vivek revealed that her death shattered him, and he would 'see her in random people walking by'. (

Vivek Oberoi opened up about his first relationship and the loss it left him with.

Vivek Oberoi on losing his childhood sweetheart to cancer

In conversation with Mens XP, Vivek recalled his first relationship, which he entered when they were both teenagers. "I thought, ‘This is it. She’s the one.’ I envisioned us going to college together, getting married, and having kids. I had my life planned out in my mind," the actor said.

However, Vivek added how she fell sick suddenly when he was 18 and she was 17. He recounted, "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.”

The actor said that her death affected him very deeply and 'for a long time, I would see her in random people walking by'. Vivek said that he 'refused to accept that she was gone,' but eventually found his peace later in life when he began working with children with cancer.

Vivek's life and career

Vivek, the son of veteran actor Suresh Oberoi, made his Bollywood debut with Ram Gopal Varma's Company in 2002. He had a spate of hits in the early 2000s, including Masti and Dum, before his career took a turn for the worse. The actor has recently made a comeback through streaming, appearing in Rohit Shetty's Indian Police Force, among other projects. A successful entrepreneur outside the film world, Vivek has investments in real estate and many other fields, making him one of the richest actors in India.