Shell yeah, Padma.
Padma Lakshmi, 52, is showing off her incredible figure in the 2023 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue, with the TV chef making a sizzling debut in photos shared by the magazine yesterday.
In one Instagram post, Lakshmi poses in the water while wearing a Toxic Sadie bikini featuring an itty-bitty top that’s made entirely of gold-hued shells.
The shells are connected by a thin gold chain that ties in the back, and she sports a matching bottom with the same shells at the hip and a nude panty in the center.
The “Top Chef” host wears her hair in beachy waves for the shoot, which was snapped by photographer Yu Tsai on the island of Dominica.
Sports Illustrated Swimsuit also shared a Reel featuring Lakshmi discussing her thoughts on being a bikini model at 52.
“When young women see this, I hope they see that they have a long life to live and that experience and wisdom and going through stuff actually makes you more interesting and enriches you as a person,” she says in the clip.
Along with her golden suit, Lakshmi wears two other seashell-themed bikinis in the issue, sporting a tan triangle top with dangling puka shells and another one that leaves little to the imagination.
In the pic, she stands in the ocean while wearing shells that form a sort of top, leaving the bottom of her breasts exposed.
Other notable looks in the 2023 Swimsuit Issue include a bright yellow bikini, a green suit that resembles seaweed and a steamy topless pic.
Famous faces and fans alike were loving Lakshmi’s hot pics, like Mindy Kaling, who commented, “I fainted.”
Tracee Ellis Ross left four fire emojis on the magazine’s post, while Bridget Moynahan wrote, “wow!!!!!”
“Cause of death: these images,” a fan added, with a second writing, “That’s what I mean when I say 50s is empowering us women!”
Lakshmi admitted to being shocked when the magazine asked her to participate in the issue, telling Jimmy Kimmel yesterday that she was “freaking out.”
“I would have killed for it when I was in my 20s and a model because it is the holy grail,” the model said, adding, “they never even called me for anything like this and I really thought that ship had passed, to be honest.”
She said she “did not believe the news on the phone” when she got the call, adding, “I started freaking out and I’m like, ‘I’ve got to go to the gym.'”
The New York Times bestselling author is no stranger to a bikini pic, celebrating her 52nd birthday last September in a sexy black two-piece.
She’s also clapped back at haters who’ve criticized her for going braless in the kitchen, telling Page Six at the Time100 gala last week, “I have boobs, I have nipples! So does every woman and man on the planet.”
“I think we should just be a little more grown-up about it,” she added.
One thing that’s certainly grown up? These sexy swimsuits.