I became a supermodel overnight and didn't know - a podcast by BBC World Service

Lisa Ray was just a teenager when she fell in love with the glamour of 1990s Mumbai. She was dipping her toe into modelling when a serious car crash at home in Canada left her mother paralysed and her tight-knit family reeling. Lisa fled back to Mumbai where an image of her, famously in a red swimsuit, had made her an overnight sensation. Although she was fighting an eating disorder, Lisa immersed herself in the party scene. Meanwhile, Bollywood was calling. She struggled with the dancing, the costumes and the lines– but she loved acting and later starred in independent films, including the Oscar nominated film Water. In 2009, at 37, she was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer and faced gruelling treatment, but she was determined to walk the red carpet again. Lisa has written a book about her life called Close to the Bone.

Get in touch: outlook@bbc.comPresenter: Emily Webb
Producer: Troy Holmes and Kevin PonniahPicture: Lisa Ray
Credit: Rohan Shrestha

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