Padma Lakshmi, 52, Had Three Weeks to Get in Shape for SI Swimsuit Issue 

The actress talked about an intensive three weeks of preparation for her 2023 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue.

Into Shape

“Luckily I was trying to lose the weight from ‘Top Chef’ so I was in the gym a lot,” Lakshmi told Page Six at the Cinema Society screening for the second season of Taste the Nation.

“But I only had 3 weeks’ notice. It was surreal,” she continued.

Lakshmi confessed that when her publicist told her the news, she thought it was a joke.

“I was like, ’No, you’re s–tting me.’ Literally I was like, ‘That’s not true, it’s so surreal,’” she shared. “I thought it would happen one day for me when I was in my 20s and 30s and a model, but it never did, so I really thought that ship had sailed. So it’s almost sweeter happening at this age.”

She said she didn’t go on any crash diets to achieve the desired look for the shoot. “I can’t do that. I tried the Atkins diet for four hours one time and I had a wicked headache and was angry. I don’t need to change my body. I just need to be toned and in shape. I’m not a different size now than before I got that call – I’m the same size.”

Cover Story

“This was a three-week boot camp of boxing, jumping rope, working out with weights and rowing machines, every day,” she continued.

Sports Illustrated Swimsuit shared an Instagram Reel with Lakshmi, 52, talking about her experience as a bikini model.

“When young women see this, I hope they see that they have a long life to live,” she shared. “And that experience and wisdom and going through stuff actually makes you more interesting and enriches you as a person.”

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