Lalit Modi announced his relationship with Sushmita Sen on July 14, 2022. The former IPL chairman declared Sen as his 'pastner' and 'love' by sharing a series of photos of them as a couple on Instagram, followed by an IG bio dedicated to the actress. When fans started to assume if Sen and Modi were hitched, latter clarified that they were only dating, stating "a new beginning a new life finally".
Later, Sushmita Sen addressed the media frenzy by clarifying her relationship status with poise. She firmly put the rumours to rest by confirming that she was in a deeply 'happy place' mentally and emotionally, explicitly stating that she was not married, nor engaged, but was instead 'unconditionally surrounded by love' from her family, daughters and well-wishers.
Despite the initial whirlwind of public attention and Lalit Modi's high-profile social media announcements, the relationship ultimately proved to be relatively short-lived. The romance quickly cooled down and by mid-September 2022, Modi subtly signaled the end of their companionship by removing Sen's name and their joint pictures from his Instagram bio and profile picture.
Lalit Modi defends Sushmita Sen against 'Gold Digger' tag
Modi told Humans of Bombay, "Sushmita is very beautiful, a very well-to-do lady. She has more diamonds than anybody I have known on this planet. She's a very wealthy lady. She has done it on her own. There was a time when I went out with her and didn't have to pay for anything. She paid for everything. I was like a kept boyfriend. She's a remarkable, self-made lady. If we can say, Sushmita was not a gold digger, Lalit was a diamond digger. And she was the diamond."
"She would never accept anything from anybody. So when people called her a gold digger, that was completely wrong," he further added.
Talking about their current equation, Modi said, "Sushmita was very special to me. She made me grow into a lot of things that I am today. She was extremely special. She was very much a part of my life at that time. It was just that the distances were too much for us. Her career was in India, my life was in London. It was a very, very special relationship. I have fond memories of her. I wish her nothing but the best. She's an amazing woman and what she has done as a single mother to her daughters, Renee and Alisah, is remarkable."