PADMA Lakshmi has revealed she felt ashamed over the paternity questions she received when she got pregnant with her daughter between relationships.
The former Top Chef host welcomed her daughter Krishna Thea, 14, with venture capitalist Adam Dell in 2010.
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Padma, 53, chose not to reveal Adam’s identity when Krishna was born, only stating that she was “between relationships” when asked about her daughter’s father on People’s Me Becoming Mom podcast.
On Tuesday, the Love, Loss, and What We Ate: A Memoir author opened up about when her daughter’s paternity was questioned in an interview with The New Yorker.
“It was just about as horrible as is possible to be,” Padma told the magazine as she discussed being probed about her daughter’s father.
She added, “I mean, talk about slut shaming.”
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Padma was married to novelist Salman Rushdie, 76, from 2004 to 2007 and started dating Adam in 2009, two years after her divorce from Salman was finalized.
Padma was diagnosed with severe endometriosis in her mid-thirties and thought it would be nearly impossible to get pregnant without medical intervention.
So it came as quite a shock when she became pregnant years later when she was almost forty.
In her memoir, Padma detailed how she approached Adam and the other man she was dating, Teddy Forstmann, with a paternity test.
Teddy, the former CEO of IMG, helped raise Krishna before he died in 2011.
STILL GOT IT
Padma hosted the hit Bravo cooking competition show, Top Chef from Season 2 to Season 20.
The View contributor left the series to take on other projects including work on her new Hulu show, Taste the Nation.
Over the weekend, Lakshmi posted photos showing off her incredible figure on Instagram.
She shared a pair of photos from a recent tropical vacation – in the snapshots Padma wore a revealing black string bikini that showed off her fit figure.
It was just about as horrible as is possible to be.”
Padma Lakshmi
The first photo showed her posing with her hand on her hip while standing on top of a cliff.
The second photo captured the model on a sandy beach.
She smiled at the camera as she held an orange scarf covered in butterflies over her head.
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Fans claimed Padma’s “still got it” in the post’s comment section as they complimented her stunning features.
PADMA’S REPLACEMENT
Padma’s Top Chef departure allowed Kristen Kish, 40, winner of the tenth season of the cooking competition, to snag the hosting position.
Top Chef: Wisconsin premiered on March 20.
Kristen introduced herself at the beginning of the first episode of Season 21 and was greeted warmly by judges Tom Colicchio and Gail Simmons.
Both said they were happy to be joined by Kristen, and Tom even admitted he looked forward to going “head to head at the judge’s table” with her.
I mean, talk about slut shaming.”
Padma Lakshmi
Contestant Kaleena Bliss admitted it’s going to be intimidating to cook for her because Kristen would know if she “half-a** it.”
Viewers seemed to miss former host Padma and let their feelings be known on X, formerly known as Twitter.
One person tweeted, “I miss @PadmaLakshmi already. #TopChef.”
“The only thing that makes me sad about Padma not hosting #TopChef is that I won’t get to hear Ben and Ronnie do their Padma voice on @WhatCrappens,” wrote another.
A third viewer commented, “I need @PadmaLakshmi back #TopChef #topchef2024 #padmalakshmi #itsnotsamewithouther,” with crying emojis.
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