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The Daily Dish Top Chef

Padma Lakshmi Reveals Her Exact Weight: “It Shouldn’t Be About What I Look Like”

"I gained weight exponentially, everywhere," the Bravo's Top Chef host shared. "I don't care."

By Adele Chapin
Padma Lakshmi Exact Weight

If you watch Bravo's Top Chef, you know that host Padma Lakshmi has been carrying the torch for body positivity, whether it's fighting ageism or practicing self-care and acceptance. So no surprise that she's talking about body image on the Emmys red carpet.

How to Watch

Watch Top Chef on Bravo and next day on Peacock.

Padma showed up at the awards this weekend looking like a dream in an icy blue, curve-hugging gown from Bravo's Project Runway's own Christian Siriano. While being interviewed by Us Weekly, she opened up about her weight fluctuations from judging all that delicious food for the competition. 

“I’ve been filming since June,” Padma told Us Weekly at the Emmys, saying, “and I haven’t had time to diet, so I’m about 146 pounds right now." 

She's not obsessed with the number of the scale, however. “I’m lucky because I gained weight exponentially, everywhere. I don’t care. I was just happy there was a dress this pretty that fit,” she told the magazine about her gorgeous Siriano gown. “And at the end of the day it’s just about feeling comfortable. I’m done trying to squeeze my bum into something that is too small. I don’t care. You know, it shouldn’t be about what I look like at this point in my career.”

Padma Lakshmi Emmys Look 1

Padma isn't bothering with shapewear either. "I mean, I don’t even have a bra on right now,” she told Us. “I mean I don’t, I just think the female body is beautiful in its natural state. I don’t believe in — I know we all have to do things to make it all smooth and beautiful. But really at the end of the day, who cares?”

 

We're loving Padma's don't give an F attitude, and that this look brings together Christian and Padma — two forces for body positivity and diversity in fashion.

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