Vergara was born in Barranquilla, Atlántico, Colombia. Her mother, Margarita Vergara Dávila de Vergara, is a homemaker, and her father, Julio Enrique Vergara Robayo, produced cattle for the meat industry. "Toti" was the nickname given to Vergara by her five brothers and sisters and many cousins, including television news anchor and reporter Carlos Vergara. She grew up in her hometown of Barranquilla and was raised as a devout Catholic in a well-off family, attending a private bilingual Spanish/English school. Vergara was married at the age of 18 to her childhood sweetheart, and she gave birth to her son Manolo Gonzalez-Ripoll Vergara September 16, 1992 at the age of 20. After her divorce, Vergara studied pre-dentistry at a university in Colombia for three years.
