Sofía Margarita Vergara is a Colombian-born actor, model, spokesperson, television host, fashion designer, and single mother whose path to stardom is as winding and sometimes as dramatic as the parts she’s played.

When she was a young girl Sofía dreamed of having curves like the plastic Barbie dolls she played with. She was rail-thin as a child and afraid her figure might never develop like the women around her. Her childhood nickname was “palillo,” which is Spanish for “toothpick,” but all that would change the day she got discovered by a photographer during a walk on the beach. Their meeting would redirect the course of her life and make her a household name – and face – throughout Latin America.

After the first of many product endorsements and photo shoots, Sofía’s career took off like a rocket and it’s been out of this world ever since – over 100 magazine covers, hosting events with over 100 million viewers and she’s been named one of the Most Powerful Hispanic Women in Entertainment (by Billboard & The Hollywood Reporter). But her ride to fame has had its turbulence along the way. By the time she reached her early twenties she’d moved to Florida to escape the unrest in Colombia that caused her eldest brother’s death. She’d also married and divorced her high school sweetheart, quit dental school, gave birth to a son, and witnessed another brother succumb to the ravages of drug addiction.

But, for as many challenges as she’s had in life, Sofía says its her fortitude, her faith in God and her good sense of humor that help her rebound every time. She was diagnosed with thyroid cancer in 2000 and credits her refusal to accept defeat as the cornerstones of a successful career that began more than twenty years ago. Viewing her battle with cancer as an opportunity to grow as a person, as a parent, and artist, she shared her good fortune by building a cancer treatment center in her Colombian hometown. “When you go through something like this, it’s hard, but you learn a lot from it. You don’t sweat the small stuff.” Don’t look on the sidelines of life for this Girl Who Gets It because she’s too busy creating her next act. “I’m fearless,” she said recently in an interview for Parade magazine. “Why lie in your bed getting depressed? Instead, use your energy to move forward. Love and rebuild life!

For loving herself as owning it her sensuality with humor, Sofia Vergara is a Girl Who Gets It.

Profile by: Kristy Peoples