'Rohit Sharma's ex-girlfriend, nun and B-grade sensation'; secret world of former Bollywood star

Many stars from Bollywood have chosen the path of spirituality in recent years. Barkha Madan and Nupur Alankar left the cine industry at their peak of fame to explore the ascetic lifestyle. Sofia Hayat was the latest entrant on that list. The Pakistan-born Bigg Boss participant and British national, dated Indian cricket captain Rohit Sharma, took Bollywood by storm, before disappearing into oblivion.

Born in 1974 to an orthodox Muslim family in Kent, UK, Sophia holds a BA in Performing Arts from the University of Brighton. In her autobiography 'Dishonored How I Escaped an Arranged Marriage and Survived an Honor Killing to Become a Star', Sofiya talks about the hardships of growing up in a conservative family. The autobiography also says that Sophia had to marry against her will at a young age and sheds light on her visit to India and her accidental entry into Bollywood.

Sofia started as a host through the British comedy show Absolute Power. In 2008, she debuted in English film ‘Cash and Curry’. Her first film in Hindi was ‘Diary of a Butterfly’ released in 2012. 'Naachle London', Six X, and Aksar 2 are some of Sofia's important films. In 2013, Sofia was included in the list of the sexiest women in the British magazine FHM. The actor was ranked 81st on the list.

Sofiya participated in the seventh season of Bigg Boss hosted by Salman Khan but was eliminated in the 12th week of the show. During this time, rumours grew thick about Sofiya dating cricket star Rohit Sharma. Even Sofiya acknowledged the rumours and soon confirmed the hasty breakup

In 2016, the former British host decided to embrace spirituality. She even got rechristened as Mother Gia Sophia. Soon it was reported that Sofiya gave up her quest to attain enlightenment by spiritual means and returned to the glamorous world of cinema. She still has more than 723,000 followers.