Padma Lakshmi

Bio:
Padma Lakshmi (born Padma Parvati Lakshmi Vaidynathan on September 1, 1970 in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India) is an Indian-born American author, actress, model and television personality. Padma’s parents divorced when she was two-years-old. Her mother moved to the United States to avoid the stigma of divorce in India, and thus, Padma grew up between India and America. She graduated from Workman High School in California, before attending Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts. She graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in the Theatre Arts. While studying abroad in Spain, Padma began her career as a model, after an agent discovered her while Padma was sitting at a café. She has modeled for Armani, Versace, Ralph Lauren and other high-level designers. She has appeared on covers of Cosmopolitan, Redbook, Vogue India and more. Her interests lead her to act in film and television. Although she appeared in Mariah Carey’s movie, Glitter, Padma has found her greatest success as one of the hosts and judges of Top Chef. She wrote her first cookbook, Easy Exotic, in 1999, and followed it up with Tangy, Tart, Hot And Sweet in 2007. Her debut memoir Love, Loss and What We Ate was released on International Women’s Day, March 8, 2016

Best Known For:
Padma Lakshmi is best known as a model, actress, author and host of Top Chef.

Personal Life:
At age 36, she diagnosed with endometriosis. In 2004, she married the famed novelist Salman Rushdie. In 2007, the couple filed for divorce. She has a daughter, Krishna Thea Lakshmi-Dell, with venture capitalist Adam Dell. Padma is active with The Endometriosis Foundation of America and is a global ambassador for the Keep a Child Alive charity.