Salman Rushdie’s ex-wife Padma Lakshmi wrote she was “relieved” after reports he appeared to be recovering after being brutally attacked at a lecture on Friday.
The 51-year-old Top Chef host – who was married to Rushdie from 2004 until their divorce in 2007 – also hoped he would be “quickly cured” of the attack.
Her tweet followed the news that Rushdie had been taken off a ventilator and was able to say a few words, although he is still in critical condition.
Breathe easy: Salman Rushdie’s ex-wife Padma Lakshmi wrote on Sunday that she was “relieved” after reports he was recovering after being brutally attacked on Friday; seen in Hollywood in May
“Relieved @SalmanRushdie comes through Friday nightmare,” Lakshmi wrote on Twitter Sunday morning. ‘Worried and wordless, can finally breathe easy. Now I hope for a quick recovery.”
“Rushdie was stabbed on Friday while attempting to speak at a literary festival.
The author’s 1988 novel The Satanic Verses, which reinterprets parts of the life of Prophet Muhammad, led Iran’s Ayatollah Khomeini to issue a fatwa – a death sentence – on Rushdie.
His attacker Hadi Matar, 24, is a sympathizer of the Iranian regime.
Wishing the best: Lakshmi said she was “concerned and wordless” but she was “hoping for a speedy recovery”.
Enhancement: Rushdie was reportedly able to turn off his ventilator and say a few words. His liver was damaged and nerves in his arm were severed from the attack. He can also lose an eye; seen in 2006
Though Lakshmi was gracious in her tweet, she and Rushdie previously disparaged each other in their memoir.
Rushdie accused Lakshmi of “majestic narcissism,” while Lakshmi wrote that her ex-husband required constant praise, nourishment and attention, not to mention “frequent sex.”
The Top Chef host was spotted with her beloved Chihuahua by her side over lunch at Il Posto Accanto restaurant in the East Village on Saturday afternoon.
Around the time Lakshmi went out for lunch, the man suspected of assaulting her 75-year-old ex-husband during a speech on Friday was having his first day in court.
Rushdie’s son Zafar Rushdie, 42, gave a hopeful update on his father’s condition on Sunday.
While he clarified that the writer is still in critical condition and has “life-changing injuries,” he said he was relieved that Rushdie’s “usual lively and defiant sense of humor remained intact.”
Zafar thanked viewers who fought off his father’s attacker and first responders who treated him quickly.
Changing tone: The former couple, pictured in February 2006, were married from 2004 to 2007. They were not friendly to each other in later memoirs
Positive update: Rushdie’s son Zafar Rushdie, 42, offered a hopeful update on his father’s condition on Sunday
Matar has pleaded not guilty through his attorney to the attempted murder and assault charges and was denied bail.
The suspect, a New Jersey resident, is accused of stabbing Sir Salman Rushdie, whose novel The Satanic Verses (1988) drew death threats just as he was being introduced at a lecture at the Chautauqua Institute, a non-profit education and retreat center.
He was about to give a lecture when a masked knifeman stormed the stage and attacked him.
In a three-minute video clip shared by one of the participants, people could be heard screaming and gasping as a dozen spectators, including a police officer, rushed onto the stage and yanked the attacker from the author. Blood had splattered on a chair and a screen after the frenzied attack.
Sir Salman remains at hospital on mechanical ventilation after suffering a damaged liver and severed nerves in his arm in Friday morning’s brutal knife attack. His spokesman said he was also likely to lose an eye.
Terrifying: Dozens of spectators quickly rushed to the stage to try to apprehend the suspect and help Rushdie after he was attacked in front of hundreds of people
Help: People rushed to the author’s aid after the attack, with the attacker held back by witnesses. The motive for the stabbing is currently unknown
Quick Response: Paramedics rushed to the scene to take the author to the hospital to treat his injuries. A spokesman for the Chautauqua Institution, where the event took place, said: “We are dealing with an emergency situation. I am unable to provide any further details at this time.