Padma Lakshmi Celebrates Her Birthday with a Beautiful Bikini Photo: 'This Is 52'

Padma Lakshmi/Twitter

Padma Lakshmi is celebrating her birthday in style.

The Top Chef host and judge turned 52 on Sept. 1 and did so by sharing a gorgeous bikini picture on Twitter.

Lakshmi's bikini pic, which she posted alongside the caption, "This is 52," is a bit of a throwback to her vacation in April. She originally posted a video compilation of her trip to Hawaii with her daughter, Krishna, on Instagram on April 4, showing off a bit of fun on a rope swing.

In both the picture and the video, Lakshmi is wearing a simple black bikini with her hair flowing freely in the wind. She topped her locks with a tropical flower crown, the perfect accessory to celebrate her birthday.

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The author also shared a more reflective post about her birthday on her Instagram page (with less skin showing). Alongside her video, in which she wished everyone a happy Virgo season, she wrote, "​​It's been such a full year with highs and lows. I am over the moon that I was able to finally film a whole second season of Taste the Nation, as well as receive the great honor of my first @jamesbeardfoundation award as well as three @criticschoice awards, for both Taste the Nation and @bravotopchef."

Lakshmi went on to detail those she lost this year, acknowledging that the "world will seem a bit darker without them." However, she wrote that she still has "so many blessings to count," adding, "This birthday has me feeling content and thankful, even if it is with a somewhat heavy heart."

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Though Lakshmi had her low points in the past year, she's still managed to share plenty of happy moments on social media, including plenty of other bikini snaps. When she shares them, though, she often makes sure to point out that she's not filtering anything and she's letting her natural beauty shine.

In an Instagram video from July, she wore a white bikini to jump onto a pool raft but hashtagged it #stretchmarksandall, as well as #nofilter. You can scroll all the way back to 2017 on Lakshmi's Instagram and you'll still find lots of love for her unfiltered body. She posted an Instagram Story in November 2017 with her stretch marks visible and in focus and wrote on the photo, "Hey stretch."

The bikini photos for her birthday aren't new this year, though. For her 48th birthday, Lakshmi posted a bikini photo and got candid about how she felt about her body nearing 50 compared to her 20s.

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"It takes time to develop as a person," she wrote." Sometimes in the entertainment industry I don't think we give women that chance. Men become distinguished and women become 'old news.' "

Lakshmi added, "In truth, I feel better about my body now, even after breastfeeding, gravity, etc. than I did in my 20's. I'm not riddled with insecurity as I was. I eat well and bust my butt in the gym."

She also shared that in addition to feeling less insecure about her body, as she's gotten older she's "learned to be thankful for what I have rather than focus on what I don't."

Lakshmi continued, "My home life and my career are doing just fine. To many more years of learning and growing."