Top Chef host Padma Lakshmi is pregnant, her rep confirms to Usmagazine.com exclusively.
"Model, author, and Emmy-nominated Padma Lakshmi confirms that she is carrying her first child after years of struggling with endometriosis, a cause for which she has co-founded the Endometriosis Foundation of America," the rep tells Us of Lakshmi, 39.
"As a result of her condition, this pregnancy has been referred to by her physician as nothing short of a medical miracle, and due to its delicate nature, we ask/implore the press to respect Ms. Lakshmi's privacy at this time," the rep continues.
Endometriosis is a medical condition in which the uterus' lining grows in other areas of the body, causing pain, irregular bleeding and possible infertility.
The baby's father has not been revealed. Online reports have speculated Manu Nathan is the dad, but her rep denies that, telling Us he's Lakshmi's cousin.
Lakshmi split from novelist Salman Rushdie in 2007 after three years of marriage.
She won the Best First Book award for her first cookbook, Easy Exotic, at the 1999 World Cookbook Awards in Versailles, France. Her second cook book, Tangy, Tart, Hot and Sweet, was released in October 2007.
She hosted the Food Network series, Padma's Passport, in 2001. She's also guest hosted on British show Planet Food.
