Howard studied English and creative writing at university, later swapping to marketing information systems. During this time, she signed to the IMM modelling agency, and appeared in the magazine.
Howard subsequently signed a contract with Loaded, resulting in a relationship advice column and a regular feature called "Sophie's Choice". As of 2006, Howard has been signed to Nuts magazine for about 18 months. In 2006, Sophie's management of IMM signed an exclusive 12 month deal - for 2007 - with Dennis publishing for Sophie to frequently feature in Maxim and Bizarre.