Celina Jaitly was born on 24 November 1981 in Shimla to V.K. Jaitly, an Indian Army Colonel from Punjab, India and an Afghan mother from Kabul. Her mother Meeta is a Psychologist.

In 2001, she featured in Jazzy B's music video of "Oh Kehri", which was immensely popular. She also featured in music videos for Bombay Vikings.

Sepang Circuit Malaysia 2002, Ayur (ayurvedic hair shampoos) 2002-2004, Ponds (Dreamflower talc) 2001-2004, Margo (skin soap) 2001-2003, Gitanjali (Diamond jewels) 2003-till present, Jashn (Leading Indian apparels) 2006- till present, Proactv (International skin solutions) 2008-till present, RICHFEEL (trichology clinics) 2012-till present, 18 Again (women’s intimate care) 2012-till present, PETA 2005-till present, United Nations Equality Champion 2013- till present

In 2003, she made her film debut in Feroz Khan's Janasheen. The movie was a moderate box office success in India. For her second release, she had a starring role opposite Sunny Deol in the romantic action Khel, but the feature was poorly received and earned little at the box office.

In 2004, Jaitly turned down the lead role in Julie. In an interview with Stardust, Jaitly commented: "I turned down Julie because I didn't agree with the reasoning of the protagonist in the story, who resorts to prostitution because her man ditches her. I didn't see why any educated girl would take such a drastic step. I take up roles that I mentally agree with, and this was not such a role". The same years Jaitly appeared in the Telugu language drama Suryam opposite Vishnu Manchu.

By 2005, under the direction of Khalid Mohamed, Jaitly played the role of Preeti, an air hostess, in Silsiilay. The movie was well received by critics. Rediff.com reported that "Celina Jaitley sizzles in the song Belibaas". She next portrayed the character of Sanjana in No Entry, the film was received favourably by critics and became successful at the box office with gross earnings of ₹840.9 million (US$13 million).

In 2007, Jaitley starred in Red: The Dark Side, directed by Vikram Bhatt, alongside Aftab Shivdasani. Her final release of 2007 was Suneel Darshan's comedy Shakalaka Boom Boom, with Bobby Deol, Upen Patel and Kangana Ranaut. Upon release it did moderately well at the box office but was critically panned.

In 2008, she took a supporting role in Golmaal Returns. It received mixed reviews, though it became a financial success, with a domestic total of ₹660.9 million (US$10 million). Jaitley's performance was applauded, with critic Taran Adarsh writing: "Celina stays on your mind even after the show is over".

During 2009 and 2010, all three films in which she starred; Paying Guests, Accident on Hill Road and Hello Darling, were critically and commercially unsuccessful.

In 2011, Jaitley had two leading roles. Her first was Anees Bazmee's Thank You, a romantic comedy. The film was poorly received by critics but became an economic success, earning over ₹950.6 million (US$15 million). She next appeared in Shrimathi, a Kannada film directed by Ravi Kumar. It proved a commercial success.

Celina is married to hotelier Peter Haag and they are the parents of twin boys Winston and Viraaj, born in March 2012. Celina is currently based in Singapore and Dubai, and travels for her film and endorsement work in Mumbai.

Celina gave birth to a second set of twin boys, Arthur & Shamsher on 10 September 2017 in Dubai. Shamsher did not survive due to a heart defect.