I wasn't like those girls who give birth and are back on the runway. It took me probably six months to gain 45 pounds and I would say it took me double that time to lose it.

She grew up shuttling between her grandparents in Chennai and her mother in New York. She speaks English Tamil Hindi Italian and Spanish.

She has been the host of the US reality television program Top Chef since season two in 2006 for which Padma Lakshmi received a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Host for a Reality or Reality-Competition Program. Padma Parvati Lakshmi (pronounced [ˈpəd̪maː ˈpaːrʋət̪iː ˈləkʃmiː]; born September 1 1970) is an Indian American cookbook author actress model and television host.