Mitra was born in Paddington, London, England, the daughter of Nora and Antony Mitra, who is a cosmetic surgeon; she has an older and younger brother. Her father is of Indian descent while her mother is Irish. In 1984, when Mitra was eight, her parents divorced and, as part of an overall lifestyle change, she was sent to boarding school. Several years passed at two different all-girls schools, including Roedean, but Mitra claims she was eventually expelled from both of them. She has been quoted as saying: "I was kicked out [of Roedean] for taking a sixth-former's car and driving it down to the local boys' school. I was only 14. I left stuffing under my bed sheets but one of my friends told on me and the headmistress tracked me down. They put me in this room with bars on the windows to punish me. I was stuck in there for a whole week with just a rosary for comfort, having my dinner brought in on trays. The only time I got out was to say confession to the school priest. After that, th