Padma Lakshmi has found love again after her divorce last year from novelist Salman Rushdie.
Lakshmi, 38, has been seen around town with billionaire Ted Forstmann (pictured to right), the 68-year-old owner and CEO of sports and entertainment marketing giant, IMG (International Management Group).
Lakshmi seems to have a penchant for dating accomplished older men; her 61-year-old ex-husband is the award-winning author of The Satanic Verses. Forstmann's IMG represents the stunning Indian-American former model, and is working on a slate of endorsement and licensing projects for Lakshmi.
Her parents split when she was a year old, which Lakshmi concedes may have led to her attraction to older men. When asked recently about ex-husband Rushdie's age (he's seven years younger than her father) and her long estrangement from her dad (whom she once described as "the most sexy, manic, in-shape, handsome man I've ever met"), Lakshmi has conceded there may be a connection: "I think we are attracted to what we feel we need."
Padma and Ted made their first public appearance together last May when they attended the Elie Wiesel Foundation tribute to Oprah Winfrey at the Waldorf-Astoria in NYC. While reps for the couple have remained mum about whether the two have indeed made a love connection, insiders recently confirmed the news to the NYPost.
Forstmann is no stranger to courting beautiful younger women, having previously dated Liz Hurley and the late Princess Diana. Lakshmi was married to Rushdie from 2004 to 2007. The couple met at a party hosted by journalist and editor Tina Brown. [via]
Padma Lakshmi Leggy in short dress: Vanity Fair/Tribeca Film Festival in NYC
