Birthday special: Shilpa Shetty turns 46, get to know the Bollywood star

Shilpa Shetty Kundra first made her Bollywood movie debut in the 1993 thriller ‘Baazigar’ and has starred in around 40 films in multiple Indian languages. She is as well known for her prolific career in movies as she is for her social media presence. As the mother of two turns 46 on May 8, here are seven interesting facts about her...

Shetty rose to fame in the United Kingdom after appearing in the fifth season of the reality show ‘Celebrity Big Brother’ in 2008. She made news while in the Big Brother house when she was embroiled in a contentious dispute with the late Jade Goody and former model Danielle Lloyd, which led to accusations of racism against Goody and Lloyd. Despite their differences, Shetty won ‘Celebrity Big Brother 5’.

With a fitness YouTube channel to her credit, countless videos to boot, suffice it to say that Shetty Kundra is extremely vocal about her love for yoga. In an interview with Gulf News, the actress-entrepreneur said: “I am a great believer in the power of yoga. To me it is more of a spiritual practice…. I practise it for an hour every morning.”

She is not the first Bollywood celebrity to have a child through surrogacy. The actress, along with her husband Raj Kundra, welcomed their second child on February 15, 2020. Shilpa in an interview to a leading media outlet shared that she has always desired a sibling for her son, saying: “After Viaan, I did want to have another child for the longest time. However, I had an auto immune illness known as APLA, which came into play every time I became pregnant. So I’d had a couple of miscarriages, and it was a real problem.”

Shetty is as well-known for her bold clothing choices as she is for her Instagram Sunday binges. Shetty’s Instagram account has a massive 20.7 million followers. Fashion and food are among the categories on her Instagram account. She also has a Twitter following of six million people. The majority of her tweets are about fitness.

Shetty nailed pregnancy style with easy-to-wear yet appealing ensembles. Layering her jumpsuits, daring cut-outs, sheer materials, figure-hugging silhouettes, and aggressive branding were all present in the star’s post-pregnancy outings, according to her style files.

Shilpa Shetty has always been open to share her fortune with others, and has raised donations for deserving organisations since becoming a wealthy star. The actress donated all of her film proceeds to an Aids organisation when she starred in the film ‘Phir Milenge’. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta) is another worthwhile cause she supports.

Shilpa Shetty has also co-authored a book, which adds another feather to her cap. She co-wrote the book ‘The Great Indian Diet’ with Luke Coutinho. This book is all about debunking the notion that Indian food is fattening, and about the nutrients that can be obtained from locally grown fruits and vegetables