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Padma Lakshmi Height, Age, Affair, Husband, Children, Family, Biography & More

Padma Lakshmi

Bio/Wiki
Real NamePadma Parvati Lakshmi Vaidynathan
NicknameAngelique
Profession(s)Model, Author, Television Host, Actress, Executive Producer
Physical Stats & More
Height (approx.)in centimeters- 175 cm
in meters- 1.75 m
in feet inches- 5’ 9”
Weight (approx.)in kilograms- 55 kg
in pounds- 121 lbs
Figure Measurements (approx.)34-28-34
Eye ColourBrown
Hair ColourBlack
Career
DebutDocumentary: Unzipped (1995) Padma Lakshmi's debut documetry Unzipped
Film: Glitter (2001)
Padma Lakshmi debut film Glitter
TV: Domenica In in 1997 (as a Host)
Padma Lakshmi in Domenica In
Awards, Honours, Achievements • Best First Book at the 1999 Gourmand World Cookbook Awards for her cookbook, "Easy Exotic"
Personal Life
Date of Birth1 September 1970 (Tuesday)
Age (as of 2023)53 Years
BirthplaceMadras (now, Chennai)
Zodiac signVirgo
SignaturePadma Lakshmi Signature
NationalityAmerican
HometownChennai, Tamil Nadu, India
SchoolWilliam Workman High School, California in 1988
College/University• Clark University, Worcester, Massachusetts
• A College in Madrid
Educational QualificationBA (Hons) in Theatre Arts
ReligionHinduism [1]YouTube
EthnicityTamil Brahmin
Food HabitNon-Vegetarian
HobbiesCooking, Reading, Travelling, Roller Skating, Playing Charades
Controversies• In 2011, Padma Lakshmi's ex-boyfriend Adam Dell, sued her, in Manhattan Supreme Court. He claimed that Padma had refused to put his name on the birth certificate of their daughter. He also claimed that Padma had forced him into signing a restrictive visitation agreement. As per this agreement, he could meet his daughter only for a few hours a week. Later, they settled down their dispute out of court. Now, they both share the custody of their daughter, 'Krishna Thea Lakshmi-Dell.'
• In 2018, she made a revelation that she was raped at the age of 16 by her then boyfriend.
Relationships & More
Marital StatusDivorced
Affairs/BoyfriendsSalman Rushdie (Author)
• Adam R. Dell (Venture Capitalist)
Padma Lakshmi with Adam Dell
• Ted Forstmann (Businessman)
Padma Lakshmi with Ted Forstmann
• David Spade (Actor)
Padma Lakshmi and David Spade
• Vikram Chatwal (Businessman) (Rumoured)
Padma Lakshmi with Vikram Chatwal
• Richard Gere (Actor) (Rumoured)
Padma Lakshmi rumoured affair with Richard Gere
Family
Husband/SpouseSalman Rushdie (m. 17 April 2004; div. 2007)
Padma Lakshmi with her Husband
ChildrenSon- None
Daughter- Krishna Thea Lakshmi-Dell (with Adam R. Dell)
Padma Lakshmi with her Daughter
ParentsFather- Vaidyanathan (an executive with the pharmaceutical company, Pfizer)
Mother- Vijaya Lakshmi (Oncologist)
Padma Lakshmi with her Mother
SiblingsBrother- 1 half-brother (from her Father's side)
Sister- 1 half-sister (from her Father's side)
Favourite Things
Favourite Food(s)Khichri, Taco, Burger, Potato Chips
Favourite ActressMargot Robbie
Favourite Restaurant Los Tacos No. 1 in NYC
Favourite DrinkTequila with Lime Juice and a Splash of Club Soda
Favourite Holiday DestinationsMexico, Bali
Money Factor
Net Worth (approx.)$ 30 Million

Padma Lakshmi

Some Lesser Known Facts About Padma Lakshmi

  • Does Padma Lakshmi smoke?: Not Known
  • Does Padma Lakshmi drink?: Yes

    Padma Lakshmi drinking Alcohol

    Padma Lakshmi drinking Alcohol

  • Her father had left her and her mother, when she was just 1 year old, and got separated, when she was in her second year. After the divorce, her mother shifted to America and settled there.
  • Padma Lakshmi lived with her maternal grandparents before joining her mother in the US, after almost 2 years. Later, both her mother and father remarried separately.
  • At the age of 7, she was molested by one of her stepfather’s relative. She wrote about this incident in the New York Times,

    “When I was 7 years old, my stepfather’s relative touched me between my legs and put my hand on his erect penis. Shortly after I told my mother and stepfather, they sent me to India for a year to live with my grandparents. The lesson was: If you speak up, you will be cast out.”

  • She grew up shuttling between her mother in New York and her maternal grandparents in Chennai, India.

    Padma Lakshmi in her Childhood

    Padma Lakshmi in her Childhood

  • At the age of 14, in 1984, she was suffered from Stevens-Johnson syndrome (a rare skin and mucosa disorder) and was hospitalized for almost 3 weeks.
  • After 2 days of her discharge from the hospital, she got injured in a car accident in California, when her mother took her to a temple for thanking God for making her better. This road accident left her with a shattered right upper arm and a fractured right hip. Her arm injury required an operation, which left a seven-inch scar on her arm.

    Padma Lakshmi's Arm Scar

    Padma Lakshmi’s Arm Scar

  • During her teen years in Los Angeles, she was very conscious of her arm scar. She was bullied by her schoolmates for the same, which led her to dislike herself. She was also called ‘Giraffe’ for her long neck.
  • When she was in school, most of the people mispronounce her name by Pamda, Panda, and others. So, she changed her name to ‘Angelique’ when she entered High School as she also wanted an exotic name.
  • While studying in Madrid, she was spotted by a modelling agent at a cafe. He offered her a modelling job, she accepted the offer and entered modelling at the age of 21.

    Padma Lakshmi Photo

    Padma Lakshmi Photo

  • Her arm scar, for which she became self-conscious at first, distinguished her in the glamour world. Her modelling work brought many acting jobs to her and soon, she started appearing in TV shows too. In an interview, she admitted that

    “The scar became my brand statement. I was the first Indian model to have a career in Paris, Milan and New York”

  • In the initial phase of her career, she worked for top designers including Gianni Versace, Giorgio Armani, Ralph Lauren, Alberta Ferretti, and Emanuel Ungaro. She also appeared in the ad campaigns of Versus and Roberto Cavalli.
  • In 1999, when she was approached for an Italian series, ‘Caraibi – Pirates: Blood Brothers.’ She had to gain almost 30 pounds (14 kg) to match the requirement of her role.

    Padma Lakshmi in Pirates Blood Brothers Caraibi

    Padma Lakshmi in Pirates Blood Brothers Caraibi

  • In the same year, after losing that extra weight, she published her book, Easy Exotic on 22 May. The success of her book gave her many opportunities like to start her own show, “Padma’s Passport: My Mother’s Kitchen” on Food Network and to host a British TV show, “Planet Food.”
  • In the same year, she met author and her former husband, Salman Rushdie (almost 23 years elder than her) at an event in New York. In 2001, her former husband Salman Rushdie dedicated one of his novels named “Fury” to her.
  • In 2005, she was diagnosed with endometriosis, from which she has suffered since her early age.
  • In 2006, she became the host and judge of an American cooking reality show, Top Chef. The show made a great change in her life and she became popular as Top Chef’s Host.

    Padma Lakshmi in Top Chef

    Padma Lakshmi in Top Chef

  • After her divorce with Salman Rushdie in 2007, she published another cookbook titled “Tangy, Tart, Hot and Sweet: A World of Recipes for Every Day” on 29 August 2007. The same year, she met her biological father after more than 3 decades.

    Padma Lakshmi Cookbook Tangy, Tart, Hot and Sweet A World of Recipes for Every Day

    Padma Lakshmi Cookbook Tangy, Tart, Hot and Sweet A World of Recipes for Every Day

  • In 2009, when she got the news of her pregnancy, she was shocked as she didn’t know who was the father of her child. She wrote about it in her 2016 memoir, ‘Love, Loss, and What We Ate: A Memoir.’ She explained that

    “I was dating both Adam Dell (brother of Dell Computer founder Michael) and the late IMG CEO and billionaire Teddy Forstmann at the time. I was shocked and elated.”

    Padma Lakshmi during her Pregnancy

    Padma Lakshmi during her Pregnancy

  • In the same year, i.e. 2009, she launched her first line of jewellery named “Padma.” Later. she launched her tableware collections- one is “Easy Exotic” and second is “The Padma Collection.” She also owns a line of specialty teas, spices, and organic frozen rices.

    Padma Lakshmi's Jewellery Line 'Padma' and Tableware Collection

    Padma Lakshmi’s Jewellery Line ‘Padma’ and Tableware Collection

  • She had a column in the newspaper, ‘The New York Times’ and has written several articles for the same. She has also written a column for the women’s fashion magazine, ‘Harper’s Bazaar.’

    Padma Lakshmi on the covers of different Magazines

    Padma Lakshmi on the covers of different Magazines

  • In 2018, in an op-ed for The New York Times, she revealed that she was raped, at the age of 16. She wrote that when she was 16, she was in a relationship with a 23-year-old guy. After a few months of their affair, he assaulted her sexually, while sleeping. She stated,

    “It took me decades to talk about this with intimate partners and a therapist. Now, 32 years after my rape, I am stating publicly what happened. I am speaking now because I want us all to fight so that our daughters never know this fear and shame and our sons know that girls’ bodies do not exist for their pleasure and that abuse has grave consequences.”

  • She has featured on the covers of several well-known magazines such as ‘L’Officiel India,’ ‘Vogue India,’ ‘Asian Woman,’ ‘Avenue,’ ‘Cosmopolitan,’ ‘Newsweek,’ ‘Marie Claire India,’ and ‘Harper’s Bazaar.’
  • She is the co-founder of a nonprofit organization, ‘Endometriosis Foundation of America’ along with Dr. Tamer Seckin.
  • She is also associated with several other nonprofit organizations such as ‘Keep a Child Alive,’ ‘amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research,’ ‘Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation,’ and others.
  • Apart from English, she also speaks Tamil, French, Italian, and Hindi.
  • She is a fine boxer too.

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