Who is Padma Lakshmi? From 'Top Chef' to her high-profile relationships

close

Video

Padma Lakshmi gets political on ‘Taste the Nation’: ‘I don't think we should be threatened by immigration’

Padma Lakshmi gets political on ‘Taste the Nation.’ The longtime judge on Bravo’s ‘Top Chef’ also shares her favorite cooking tricks she has learned from contestants over the years.

Padma Lakshmi is a model, actress and author with work spanning across the United States and Europe. Lakshmi was born in India and before entering the entertainment space, graduated from Clark University with a bachelor's degree in theater arts and American literature.

Even though Lakshmi started off on more of the modeling and acting side of the entertainment industry, she is now known more for her role as a host on many cooking related shows. 

One of the first cooking shows that she hosted was called "Padma's Passport" where she made food from all around the world. She was also on a documentary series called "Planet Food" and co-hosted "Domenica In." 

Further along in her career, she started hosting and executive producing the competition cooking show "Top Chef."

PADMA LAKSHMI REVEALS SHE EATS OVER 7,000 CALORIES A DAY WHEN FILMING ‘TOP CHEF’ 

Padma Lakshmi has been hosting Bravo's cooking competition show "Top Chef" since 2006.  ( David Livingston/Getty Images)

Lakshmi also created her own Hulu cooking show "Taste of the Nation" which started in 2021. 

Beyond all of her shows, Lakshmi has also taken her love for food from television to books with creation of her cookbooks "Easy Exotic" and "Tangy, Tart, Hot & Sweet" and her memoir "Love, Loss, and What We Ate." She also put out "The Encyclopedia of Spices & Herbs" and the children's book "Tomatoes for Neela." 

Who was Padma Lakshmi married to?  

Lakshmi was married to author Salman Rushdie. They started dating in 1999 and got married in 2004, but divorced in 2007. 

Lakshmi opened up about her relationship with Rushdie in a 2016 interview while promoting her memoir, "Love, Loss and What We Ate." 

PADMA LAKSHMI CHANNELS ‘MIAMI VICE’ IN BLACK BRA, NEON TRACKSUIT: ‘CAPTION THIS’ 

"Imagine a young woman in her twenties, who loves books and who had published her little cookbook and in comes this guy," she told People. "I mean, he was the best thing that ever happened to me by a mile. The fact that somebody of that stature and caliber was even interested remotely enough in me to want to take me to lunch was kind of unbelievable."

Lakshmi told the outlet that things started to go sour in their relationship as her fame grew and she was unable to spend as much time with Rushdie. She also said that another added factor in their downfall was her (undiagnosed at the time) endometriosis which left her unable to have sex.

"I think that Salman took it personally, and I think that he felt rejected," Lakshmi said.

Lakshmi shares daughter Krishna Thea Lakshmi-Dell with Adam Dell. She was born in 2010. (Getty)

After her divorce, she dated Adam Dell, brother of Michael Dell, founder of Dell computers on and off starting in 2009 but the two have since parted ways. 

She was linked to poet Terrance Hayes in 2021 but said on "Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen" that she was single. 

PADMA LAKSHMI HITS BACK AT BODY SHAMERS WHILE COOKING IN HER SPORTS BRA: ‘LET’S NOT POLICE WOMEN'S BODIES' 

Does Padma Lakshmi have any kids? 

Padma has one daughter, Krishna Thea Lakshmi-Dell who was born in 2010. She shares her daughter with ex-boyfriend Dell, but did not know he was the father at the time, which caused a lot of people to run their own investigations on who the father was. 

Padma Lakshmi has a daughter Krishna Thea Lakshmi-Dell with ex-boyfriend Adam Dell.  ( Michael Kovac/Getty Images for the Critics Choice Real TV Awards)

"It certainly was icky when the press started snooping around in various countries-not just America, but in India, England, Australia," she said on the podcast "Me Becoming a Mom." At the time, it was splashed all over the newspapers and it was mortifying." 

She explained that during the time of finding out about her pregnancy, she was in between relationships. It was later confirmed that Dell was the father. 

How long has Padma Lakshmi hosted "Top Chef?"

Lakshmi started hosting the show "Top Chef" since 2006. When she joined, the show was on its second season, and she has remained on the Bravo show ever since.