Padma Lakshmi pregnant with 1st child

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 1 (UPI) -- Padma Lakshmi's publicist has confirmed the Indian-American cookbook author and television personality is pregnant with her first child.

"Model, author and Emmy-nominated Padma Lakshmi confirms that she is carrying her first child after years of struggling with endometriosis, a cause for which she has co-founded the Endometriosis Foundation of America," her representative told Usmagazine.com exclusively Thursday. "As a result of her condition, this pregnancy has been referred to by her physician as nothing short of a medical miracle, and due to its delicate nature, we ask/implore the press to respect Ms. Lakshmi's privacy at this time."

The identity of the baby's father was not disclosed.

The 39-year-old "Top Chef" host and novelist Salman Rushdie divorced in 2007.