A British actress and model of Indian descent, Sofia Hayat has been a part of English as well as Indian shows and movies. She started her career as a presenter on the show Zee Music TV SKY in 2000, following which she went on to appear in small roles in shows such as Absolute Power, Footballers Wive$: Extra Time, Waterloo Road, Fur TV, Jonathan Creek, and also hosted Superdude in 2011. Making her feature film debut, Sofia was seen in the 2007 English thriller Exitz, playing a rather insignificant role. Mainly seen playing supporting roles, she was a part of other movies such as Cash and Curry, The Unforgettable, Naachle London, and Diary of a Butterfly.

It was her appearance in the reality show Bigg Boss' seventh edition that put her in the spotlight. Her controversial behaviour and disagreements with the other contestants always managed to keep her in the news. Post Bigg Boss 7, she was seen in the 2016 Hindi drama Six X, after which she announced that she had taken to becoming a nun, adopting the name Gaia Sofia Mother. Upon adopting the new lifestyle, she stated that she would not marry or have kids, but in 2017 she tied a knot with her interior designer boyfriend Vlad Stanescu in spiritual, Egyptian-inspired ceremony on 1st of March. Her first project after her wedding is the suspense thriller Aksar 2, starring Zareen Khan, Gautam Rode, Abhinav Shukla, and Mohit Madan in lead roles. Peers: Mandana Karimi, Nora Fatehi, Gizele Thakral