This Colombian export was born on July 10, 1972, in Barranquilla, Colombia. ''La Toti'', as her family referred to her, was extremely close to her family, which consisted of five brothers and sisters and many cousins.
A quiet child, Sofia studied a lot and took school very seriously. When her nose wasn't in the books, she surrounded herself with music, whether it was watching her family singing, dancing and playing instruments, or listening to her favorite group Menudo (Ricky Martin's claim to fame before he was Livin' la Vida Loca).
A playful child who loved Barbies, Sofia also spent a lot of time on her father's farm, where she swam in the river and rode horses.
Sofia was a student at a private bilingual elementary school where she not only got to learn and perfect her English skills, she developed tight, lifelong friendships. As for boyfriends, she only has 5 ex-boyfriends, the most significant being the father of her son, Manolo.
Married to her boyfriend of 4 years at the age of 18, her ex-husband gave her the greatest gift of all; her son, who is now 8 years old. After Manolo was born, Sofia was set on becoming a dentist, but she was faced with a change in career paths.
Discovered by a photographer while walking down a Colombian beach (Laetitia Casta was also discovered on the sands of a beach), Sofia began to receive modeling offers. Since modeling was more attractive and glamorous than becoming a dentist, Sofia decided to try her hand at modeling, three years after she began studying dentistry.
Swiping her dentist uniform for designer togs, Sofia's modeling career began. After an appearance in a Pepsi commercial that was broadcast all over her native Colombia, Sofia moved to Bogota at the age of 20, where she worked on the runway and on television.
One of her biggest claims to fame was her co-hosting duties with Fernando Fiore on Fuera de Serie, a series which sent her to exotic places all over the world. Broadcast on Univision, with Sofia as co-host from 1995 to 1999, it gave Sofia American exposure and made her a star in the Latin American market
The same year that she started the travel show, Sofia appeared on Acapulco, cuerpo y alma and has recently starred in the series A que no te atreves.
Aside from her television work, Sofia's most recent project is her calendar, Sofia 2000, which she describes as the most daring thing she has done. She has also designed a bra for fellow full-figured women, and will appear on commercials for Bally gyms. This summer, Sofia appeared on the cover of Channels magazine and was featured in Gear.
With a huge following on the Internet, Sofia has become one of the most viewed women in cyberspace. With her own website, sofiavergara.com, boasting an average of over 12 million hits a month (only six months after launching the site), Sofia has become the ''undisputed Latin virtual queen''.