Richard Gere’s New Pretty Woman: Padma Lakshmi

Who’s the new gal in Richard Gere’s life? Rumor has it that it’s Top Chef’s super hot Padma Lakshmi. Gere isn’t completely free and single though. He is in the process of divorcing his wife of 11 years, Carey Lowell. The couple announced their separation and intentions to divorce in late 2013. Is it too soon for Gere to jump back in the saddle?

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As American’s leading man, Gere has had a somewhat rocky road at love. He was married to Cindy Crawford for 4 years in the early 90’s even though she was 17 years his junior. He married Lowell in 2002 and the two have a 14-year-old son together.

Lakshmi has a spicy love life behind her as well. She was married to Salman Rushdie in 2004. He was 23 years older than her and she became his muse and model for the central character in his novel Fury. It was not meant to be for the pair as they divorced in 2007.

Friends close to the couple are not even really calling them a “couple” yet. Reportedly, the pair are just having fun and getting to know each other. Lakshmi last boyfriend died in 2011 and she has been very cautious about getting back in the dating scene.

Gere is filming Time Out of Mind, a film where he portrays a homeless man trying to reconnect with his daughter. Pairing the busy schedule of filming with Padma’s career and raising a young daughter can’t be an easy task.

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Gere is 20 years older than Lakshmi, but that plays right into both of their wheelhouses. Gere has a tendency to date younger women and Lakshmi goes for the older—and sometimes much older—men. Even though this relationship is very hush hush as of now, it seems to have all of the components to work out well.