Padma Lakshmi's former husband is "healing beautifully" 10 months after being stabbed on stage during a lecture in New York City.
Salman Rushdie — who was married to the outgoing "Top Chef" host from 2004 to 2007 — was hospitalized for six weeks after being attacked back in August 2022. Following the assault, the author lost vision in one eye and use of a hand.
"He's healing beautifully, valiantly. Like everyone else, when I heard about it it catapulted me right back to things that I hadn't thought about for a very long time," she said on CNN's "Who's Talking With Chris Wallace." "You know, obviously, we have a lot of common friends and I think he's doing great. He's a tough old boot. And he's not anything if he's not tenacious, so I'm happy that he is healing."
Padma and Salman were married while Iran's Ayatollah Khomeini issued a fatwa — also known a death sentence — against him for his writings.
"I would be lying if I said, I didn't think about those things. I did think about the fatwā every day of my life, I couldn't not think about it," Padma said. "But what I thought about more, was very deep love between us. And that made me not afraid, because I was with the man I loved. And I thought that was where it should be."
The "Taste the Nation with Padma Lakshmi" star noted that her family wasn't exactly enthusiastic when she began dating Salman.
"My family wasn't very excited at first either, you know, by this relationship, but they also in time really grew to love Salman and that's really what I hope propels all of my important decisions," she said.
The interview comes less than two weeks after Padma announced that she is leaving "Top Chef" after 17 years and 19 seasons.
"After 17 years, many of the cast and crew are like family to me and I will miss working alongside them dearly," she wrote on Instagram. "I feel it's time to move on and make space for 'Taste the Nation,' my books and other creative pursuits."