Leone was born Karen Malhotra in Sarnia, Ontario to SikhPunjabi parents from India.[7] Her father was born in Tibet and raised in Delhi, while her mother (who died in 2008[8]) was from a small town named Nahan in Sirmaur, Himachal Pradesh.[7][9] As a young girl, she was very athletic and played street hockey with the boys,[3] enjoyed ice skating on a nearby frozen lake and drinking hot chocolate in front of a fire after playing in the snow all day.[10]