'I was like a kept boyfriend': Lalit Modi defends Sushmita Sen against 'gold-digger' tag, claims 'she paid for everything'

Lalit Modi has opened up about his relationship with Sushmita and defended her against the "gold digger tag". He said that Sushmita paid for everything and it was he instead, who was the "diamond digger".

Back in 2022, soon after Lalit Modi's claims of dating Sushmita Sen went viral, the former Miss Universe was subjected to intense social media scrutiny.

Trolls even tagged her as a "gold digger" for her alleged relationship with the businessman.

However, Sushmita lambasted the trolls with a strong-worded statement shared on Instagram and said, "I dig deeper than gold... and I've always (famously) preferred diamonds! And yes, I still buy them myself."

Now, Lalit Modi has opened up about his relationship with Sushmita and defended her against the "gold digger tag".

In a recent interview with Humans of Bombay, Lalit said that the two shared a special bond and also revealed that their relationship ended due to the long distances as his career is in London.

Lalit further added that Sushmita was very special to him and made him “grow into a lot of things that I am today”.

Clearing the air about Sushmita's "gold digger" tag, Lalit said that Sushmita is a wealthy person and it was he who was like a "kept boyfriend".

"Please understand that Sushmita is a very beautiful and very well-to-do lady. She has more diamonds than anybody I know on the planet, and she has earned them herself. She has diamond stores. So, she is a very wealthy lady. She has done it all on her own. There wasn’t a single time that I went out with Sushmita that I had to pay for anything. She paid for everything. I was like a kept boyfriend," Lalit said.

Calling himself a "diamond digger" instead, Lalit added, "Sushmita is a remarkable lady and self-made lady. She will never accept anything from anybody. So when somebody says she was a gold digger, Lalit was a diamond digger. She was truly a diamond. She could have anybody on the planet she wanted. It was never about money. It was never about anything else. She can buy anything she wants, do anything she wants, without a doubt."

The social media whirlwind started with Lalit's post on X (formerly called Twitter) back in 2022.

Sharing photos from his vacation with Sushmita, Lalit wrote in the caption, "Just back in London after a whirling global tour #maldives # sardinia with the families - not to mention my #better looking partner @sushmitasen47 - a new beginning a new life finally. Over the moon. In love does not mean marriage YET. BUT ONE THAT For sure."

In another post, he clarified, "Just for clarity. Not married - just dating each other. That too it will happen one day."

However, Sushmita, on the other hand, never publicly accepted or denied their relationship.

Later in 2025, Lalit confirmed his break up with Sushmita.