LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Food show host and supermodel Padma Lakshmi, who simultaneously helmed the shows ‘Top Chef’ and ‘Taste of the Nation’, has decided to leave the former show after its “20th glorious season” in pursuit of the latter, besides her books and “other pursuits.” The Indian-origin supermodel and actress recently took to Instagram to share the news of her departure from the show with a long post.
The family-oriented supermodel, who is known for her straight-faced persona in the shows she hosts, recently broke down during an episode of ‘TON’ where she visited the Cambodian immigrant community in Lowell, Massachusetts. Lakshmi, who emigrated from India to the US with her mother and grandmother, revealed during an interview with Daily Beast that when she was with the old women of the Cambodian community, she was reminded of her grandmother whom she had cremated just before the starting of filming. It’s because of her, Lakshmi revealed, that she had known “anything about food because she loved cooking.” As the author of ‘Love, Loss, and What We Ate: A Memoir’ is known for creating magic through her delicious meals which are a melting pot of culture, her personal life also has a semblance of multiculturalism.
Who is Padma Lakshmi dating now?
While Laksmi herself is the author of several books, her preference for writers is legendary. While the cooking show host is fiercely protective of her dating life, Lakshmi was seen locking lips with poet and MacArthur fellowship recipient Terrance Hayes in June 2021. According to Us Weekly, Hayes, a professor of Creative Writing at the New York University, also served as the poetry editor of New York Times Magazine in 2017 and 2018. He also won the National Book Award for his poetry collection ‘Lighthead’ in 2010.
Padma Lakshmi’s brief marriage to Salman Rushdie
Hayes is, however, not the first litterateur to date Lakshmi as ‘The Mistress of Spices’ actress was previously married to the celebrated Booker-winning author Salman Rushdie. The couple met in 1999, and eventually decided to marry in 2004.
Lakshmi recalled, as per Hello! Magazine, "Imagine a young woman in her twenties, who loves books and who had published her little cookbook and in comes this guy," before adding, "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."
However, in 2007, the celebrated couple decided to split citing many differences but chose to remain friends. As The List reports, Lakshmi’s diagnosis of Endometriosis was one of the things that led to the divorce. But Rushdie, as Lakshmi recounted, believed she was using her disease, which required surgery, as an excuse to not be intimate. Rushdie narrated about the marriage in his semi-autobiographical novel ‘Joseph Anton’ in 2012, where he described Lakshmi as someone who is unwilling to share the spotlight.
Pregnancy in 2009
Lakshmi was in an on-and-off relationship with venture capitalist Adam Dell for a long time. After splitting up with Rushdie, she was in a relationship with Dell and saw Teddy Forstmann almost simultaneously. In 2009, she became pregnant with her daughter Krishna but wasn’t sure of her baby’s fatherhood. A paternity test, however, confirmed Adam Dell to be the father. She said to Extra at that time, "I had just gotten out of a divorce and, by the way, I was honest with everyone involved in my life — but it was still hard."
After the birth of her daughter, a bitter custody battle ensued between Dell and Lakshmi as she wanted to settle down with Forstmann. However, following the latter's tragic death, Lakshmi and Dell rekindled their romance in 2017. In 2018, she told Wendy Williams that she did not see the need to get married anytime soon.