Padma Lakshmi was “freaking out” when she got the invitation to appear in Sports Illustrated‘s swimsuit issue.
“I would have killed for it when I was in my 20s and a model because it is the holy grail and they never even called me for anything like this. And I really thought that ship had passed, to be honest,” the Top Chef host explained on Monday’s pre-writers strike episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live. “So when I got the call now a few months ago, I was like, ‘You’re f*cking sh*tting me, really?’ I did not believe the news on the phone. And then I started freaking out.”
Lakshmi’s first thought? “I gotta go to the gym. Oh my god!” Luckily, she continued, “I was already hitting the gym pretty hard because it had been just a month since I got home from filming Top Chef.” Exercise is an essential part of the gig, considering how much the hosts have to eat every episode.
As for how many calories a day the Top Chef host consumes during filming, it’s likely more than fans think.”First half of the season when we have a lot of contestants, eight or nine thousand calories a day, easily,” Lakshmi shared.
The Rock weeps.
Lakshmi previously estimated that her daily calorie count while filming Top Chef was in the 7,000-8,000 range. How to explain the extra 1,000 calories? Sounds like someone is sneaking in a Popeye’s Chicken Sandwich between breakfast and lunch. No? Just me? Well, she should try it.
You can watch the Lakshmi’s Kimmel interview above.
(Via ET Online)
