Padma Lakshmi has been a household name for decades. The Madras-born model-turned-author and host was studying in Spain when a photographer discovered her and convinced her to pursue a career in modeling. Back in the day, she was considered one of the top models and her resume has a lot to show for it.
Padma was one of the first Indian models to have walked runways across Paris, Milan, and New York. Her exposure to the world of fashion landed her prestigious gigs with high-end designers such as Emanuel Ungaro, Ralph Lauren, and Albert Ferretti. The next thing we know, she became a regular on the covers of global magazines like Cosmopolitan, Marie Claire, and Harper's Bazaar. Her long list of endorsements, campaigns, and event appearances helped her amass impressive wealth. Unlike most, she didn't settle after bidding goodbye to her modeling career.
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She is now an award-winning cookbook author and a sought-after Television host. 'Top Chef' has been career-defining. She understands food better than most and that is not the only expertise she brings to the mix. Along with judges Tom Colicchio and Gail Simmons, Padma engages in fun banter with the chefs to lighten the ambiance. She also samples food and shares her two cents on it. Since she wears many hats on the show, it's understandable that the network would want to pay her $50,000 per episode. Not a bad payout at all and explains the $40 million net worth, as noted by Celebrity Net Worth.
A few decades ago, when Padma rose to the top to become one of the popular faces of her industry, she decided to try her hands at acting, in which she experienced moderate success. In 2003, she starred in the controversial Hindi-action film 'Boom' along with Amitabh Bachchan, Gulshan Grover, and Katrina Kaif. A few years later, she found herself sharing screen space with Aishwarya Rai Bachchan in 'The Mistress of Spices'.
Padma has always been a hard worker but she never forgot to take breaks in between and that was when she found love. Padma got married to novelist Salman Rushdie. However, the couple parted ways in 2007. A few years later, she was involved with billionaire businessman Teddy Forstmann, who left her child, Krishna, with a trust fund.
According to a Daily News report, "In the will, filed in Manhattan Surrogate's Court, Forstmann refers to reality cooking show queen Lakshmi as "my friend." The document forgives all debts she owed him "representing loans made by me before or after the date of this will." "The specifics of Krishna's Trust and any loans Forstmann forgave were not contained in the court files available to the public, however," the report added. Currently, Padma is dating Adam Dell. In 2020, the couple celebrated her 50th birthday together.
Catch more of Padma when 'Top Chef' Season 18 premieres on Bravo on April 1 at 10/9c. For more information, check your local listings.
Take a look at Padma's life here:
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