Beauty and the Damned

Top Chef host Padma Lakshmi and Salman Rushdie met at the launch of Tina Brown’s short-lived Talk magazine and wed in 2004. At the time, the 56-year-old Rushdie described the 32-year-old Lakshmi as “a mirthful person.” She later described him as “the most sedentary person I know.” Their split in July of this year was not so much news as fodder for reality-show blogs and schadenfreude for many. Two weeks before they announced their divorce, Rushdie was knighted by Queen Elizabeth. Sir Salman may not end up with the girl, but he’ll get to watch her on Top Chef Season 4: Chicago. —Meredith Arthur