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Padma Lakshmi opens up about being raped at age 16 and why "#WhyIDidntReport"

In a powerful New York Times op-ed, Padma Lakshmi opens up about being raped as a teenager in the 1980s, explaining why she and so many other sexual-assault victim remained silent

BY REGINA GURUNG

PUBLISHED SEP 25, 2018

In the wake of sexual assault accusations against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh by Dr. Christine Blasey Ford that allegedly went unreported for decades, Padma Lakshmi is recalling her own painful memories of being raped when she was 16 years old.

Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee on the third day of his Supreme Court confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill September 6, 2018 in Washington, DC. Kavanaugh was nominated by President Donald Trump to fill the vacancy on the court left by retiring Associate Justice Anthony Kennedy.

In a powerful op-ed in the New York Times published on Tuesday, the 48-year-old 'Top Chef' host wrote that she dated a 23-year-old college student when she was 16 because he was “charming and handsome” and would “flirt” with her at her part-time retail job at a mall in Los Angeles.