Padma sheds light on her painful past

Lakshimi.jpg She may have been a gorgeous model, but Top Chef host Padma Lakshmi didn’t always feel so beautiful on the inside. “I went through years of chronic pain until I met Dr. Tamer Seckin, who literally changed the quality of my life,” says Padma, who suffered from endometriosis, which can cause disabling menstrual cramping, among other symptoms. “I have been treated for the disease and I am now completely healthy and free from the pain and stress it caused,” she says. With up to 10 percent of all women suffering from this reproductive condition, Padma believes it’s important to get the word out so that it can be treated successfully. “I feel I owe it to young women to educate them so that they don’t have to go through what I did,” she adds. Padma and her friend Dr. Seckin will co-host the first annual Blossom Ball to benefit the Endometriosis Foundation of America in New York City’s Prince George Ballroom on April 20. A-list guests such as Whoopi Goldberg will enjoy a cocktail reception and silent auction followed by dinner and dancing.

| Posted: April 15, 2009 |

Get your daily dish of Latino News and Gossip at  terra

CURRENT ISSUE

Current cover
Subscription Special
5 issues for $7.99

IN THIS ISSUE

Demi Moore: Rock Bottom
It could have been a happy night for Demi Moore — a chance to put the most painful and humiliating period of her life behind her, even if just for a few hours. But while Demi had been nominated for a Directors Guild award for co-directing the Lifetime special Five, she spent the January 28 ceremony in hiding as she coped with the fallout from a drug incident that landed her in the hospital five days earlier. “She’s literally hiding in shame over how far she has fallen,” a pal shares.

Sarah Michelle Gellar and Freddie On The Rocks?
Could Sarah Michelle Gellar and Freddie Prinze Jr. be the next in a long list of celebrity couples heading for divorce? Although their rep denies the story, the duo, who have managed to remain largely out of the spotlight throughout their relationship, raised eyebrows recently when Sarah, 34, walked the Golden Globes red carpet solo — and without her enormous diamond engagement ring.

Tabatha Coffey’s Tough Love
“Look, I know it’s like boot camp when I come in,” says Tabatha Takes Over star Tabatha Coffey with a twinkle in her eye and a smile so broad that fans of her hit show might not even recognize her. The Bravo star admits with a giggle that channeling her inner drill sergeant is often the only way to get the job done.

Seal’s Ex: Don’t Take Him Back
The song that Seal chose for his performance on a recent episode of Ellen — Al Green’s “Let’s Stay Together” — seemed specifically designed to make his estranged wife, Heidi Klum, reconsider her decision to end their marriage. While Seal may have good reason to endear himself to Heidi — who has legions of fans and pulled in a whopping $20 million last year — former supermodel Tatjana Patitz, 45, maintains that the singer is a selfish, immature man who is prone to frightening rages. “He is not a nice person,” Tatjana, who dated Seal for nearly a year, tells In Touch.