Karishma Kotak is a British model, actress and TV presenter. Early life Kotak was born on 26 May 1982 in North West London, England. She is a Gujarati. Her father is from Gujarat and her mother is from East Africa. Her immediate family lives in London and consists of her mother and a younger brother named Sunny Kotak. She did a part of her schooling from a boarding school. She later pursued a degree in Bachelor of Arts in Advertising and Marketing. Initially, she wanted to become a teacher and had enrolled for a course in teaching. Career Modelling and advertisements - UK Karishma began her modelling career at the age of 16 and worked for an adult magazine like Just Seventeen and other projects in Essex. When she was around 20, she visited India and realized the huge potential that the Indian fashion had to offer. In the meantime, she continued doing projects and fashion shows in the UK including regional campaigns. She did catalog work for brands like Toni & Guy and FCUK. In 2004, she walked the ramp for the London Fashion Week. She was also a presenter for a UK TV show, The Show, that dealt with entertainment, movies & lifestyle. Modelling and advertisements - India In September 2005, Karishma moved to Mumbai, India. Within 2 months of her relocation, she got selected to work with a calendar published by the United Breweries Group, the 2006 Kingfisher Calendar, which was shot in Australia by Atul Kasbekar. She said in an interview, "Doing the Kingfisher calendar is a dream for any model. All the hours in the gym and eating healthy are paying off." This project shot her into limelight in the Indian fashion scene. She accepted several offers to do TV commercials. A celebrity management company, Matrix India Entertainment commented, "As she has an excellent complexion, she’ll be in skin and beauty product ads." She did TV advertisements & promotional campaigns for brands like Dove, Pond's, Wella Hair Color, Titan Xylus, Diesel, Tanishq, Saffola, Sagar Sarees, Rang Sarees, Alapatt Jewels, Kalyan Silks, Elmore, Achakottil Jewels, CMR Grand, and Sobha Wedding Galaxy As a brand ambassador for Dove, she was featured on huge billboards & hoardings in major cities across India. In April 2012, her two TV commercials for Idea Cellular with Abhishek Bachchan started airing on TV. Karishma was next hired by VVF Limited for the