Padma Lakshmi has several feathers on her hat. She is an author, actress, model, TV presenter and producer, apart from being a doting mother
Top Chef host (season 2), author, actress, model Padma Lakshmi has several feathers on her hat. She is one of the hottest mothers and succesful women in town.
The 48-year-old Padma who celebrates her birthday on September 1, doesn't look a year older than 30, and we have to say that she has been impressing and inspiring several people across the globe.
Padma who earlier dated venture capitalist Adam Dell, has a beautiful daughter with him, named Krishna Thea Lakshmi-Dell.
The supermodel was even married to author Salman Rushdie.
While Padma Lakshmi was born in Chennai, her mother used to live in New York and hence she had to travel often to the US before settling there forever.
But do you think this is all you need to know about the woman of substance?
Think again! The lifestyle guru has so much more in store for us to get fascinated by, so on her special day today let's take a look at some of the lesser known facts about the stunning Padma Lakshmi.
1. Padma Lakshmi is not her real name
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Padma Lakshmi's actual name is Padma Parvati Lakshmi Vaidynathan, although she went by 'Angelique' until college. When the model officially became an American citizen, she legally changed her name to Padma Lakshmi in honor of her mother, who shortened her name to Vidjaya Lakshmi, after divorcing Padma’s father.
2. She was a theater major in college
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Before she started her career in food, Padma tried her hand at acting
3. She Speaks Five Languages
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Due to her multicultural background, Padma is fluent in English, Hindi, Tamil, Spanish and Italian
4. Most of her childhood milestones revolved around the kitchen
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"You weren’t allowed to touch the spices, you weren’t allowed to turn on the stove until you went to middle school,” Padma recalled of her grandmother's kitchen in India, in an interview sometime back. “Only when you were going to college were you really allowed to learn how to cook, in case you were going to starve,” she added
5. Her daughter wants to be a pop star
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In addition to listening to a roster of classical Indian musicians, Lakshmi's daughter, Krishna, takes carnatic vocal classes and wants to be a pop star
6. She co-founded the Endometriosis Foundation of America.
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The Endometriosis Foundation of America raises awareness about endometriosis, an inflammatory disease that affects a woman’s fertility and physical health. While Lakshmi suffered from the disease, which causes intense cramping, among a host of uncomfortable physical symptoms, since the age of 13, she was only diagnosed at 36
7. She Has Published Four Books and Counting
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Throughout her career, Padma has written two cookbooks, a memoir and, her recent work is an A-to-Z compendium of spices, herbs, salts, peppers and blends
8. She has Stevens-Johnson syndrome.
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Padma Lakshmi discovered the condition when she was 14 years old after being hospitalized for 2 weeks. The syndrome causes layers of the skin to separate and is often caused by hypersensitivity to medications or other diseases.
