Former IPL chairman Lalit Modi has announced that he is dating Bollywood actor and former Miss Universe Sushmita Sen. Modi, who was the first chairman and commissioner of the Indian T20 tournament, shared the news on Thursday with a series of pictures on Twitter, calling the actress his 'better half' and describing it as a 'new beginning'.

"Just back in London after a whirling global tour #maldives # sardinia with the families - not to mention my #betterhalf @sushmitasen47 - a new beginning a new life finally. Over the moon," wrote Modi.

Modi, who was the founder of the Indian Premier League, further clarified that the two haven't tied the knot but are just 'dating'. "Just for clarity. Not married - just dating each other. That too it will happen one day," he tweeted. Modi was previously married to Minal Sagrani, whom he married in October of 1991. They had two children together - son Ruchir and daughter Aliya. Modi is also a step father to Karima Sagrani, from Minal's first marriage. Unfortunately, Minal lost her life to cancer in 2018.

Meanwhile, Sen had recently shared pictures from her vacation in the Maldives. She had visited the island nation with her daughters. Modi's announcement suggests that he had also accompanied the former Miss Universe. Last month, Sushmita also spoken about her decision not to get married and what led to it. She revealed that she came close to getting married thrice, and all three times 'God saved' her.

"Luckily I met some very interesting men in my life, the only reason I never got married is because they were a let down. It had nothing to do with my kids. My kids were never in the equation. If at all, they have been very gracious. Both my kids have accepted people in my life with open arms, never made a face. They have given everybody equal measure of love and respect. It's the most beautiful thing to watch," news agency ANI had quoted her as saying.

"I came close to getting married thrice, all three times God saved me. I can't tell you what disasters followed with their respective lives. God protected me, also because God is protecting these two kids, he can't let me get into a messy affair," she added.

Before this, Sushmita was in a relationship with model Rohman Shawl, whom she met through Instagram in 2018, but broke up with him last year. "We began as friends, we remain friends!! The relationship was long over…the love remains,” she had posted on her Instagram handle.

Source: Hindustan Times