Italian journalist and TV presenter Nadia Toffa has died, aged 40, following a long battle with cancer.
Ms Toffa, who rose to fame with Italian political comedy show Le Iene, had been fighting brain cancer since December 2017.
That year, her name was the third most searched-for on Google in Italy, according to local reports.
The popular investigative reporter regularly shared her brave struggle against the illness with fans.
In her final Twitter post, on June 10, the star thanked her supporters for all their “amazing messages”, which she would keep “in her heart”.
“I confront my challenges every day with the help of my friends and family,” she added.
The 40-year old had undergone surgery and had her brain tumour completely removed, according to local media.
But after a few months the cancer returned.
Le Iene paid tribute to its former star, writing on Facebook on Tuesday that she had tackled life head-on “with a smile, with dignity, and with every ounce of strength, until today.”
“Nothing will be the same again without you,” her colleagues added.
Before her death, the award-winning journalist wrote a highly personal book, in which she wrote that she tried to see cancer as "a gift, an opportunity".
Her friend and fellow Italian presenter Simona Ventura praised her “courage”, tweeting following the news: “Here I sit, unable to find the words.
“No, this time I can’t find comfort in any of this, only the courage which you’ve shown me, and your lessons on the preciousness of life.
“Like a true lioness you never gave up, even when they told you the illness had won.”
