Lakshmi 'devastated over custody battle'

Padma Lakshmi is said to be "devastated" over her current custody battle with former partner Adam Dell over their 11-month-old daughter Krishna.

People reports that the Top Chef host is struggling to deal with the media attention that the case has drawn and is upset that Dell chose to deal with the issue publicly.

"Ms. Lakshmi looks forward to correcting the record in the courts, not the press," said her attorney Jay D Silverstein.

"She is saddened and gravely disappointed that Mr. Dell has chosen a very public means of filing his petition with the court rather than doing so in a confidential or sealed manner, which is customary in cases involving a very young child."

Lakshmi is said to have called the custody battle a "nightmare".

"She said 'I'm living in a nightmare'. She's a single working mother who is trying very hard to have a peaceful and calm environment for her daughter. The recent events are making it difficult," a source told the publication.

Another insider added: "[Padma has] encouraged Mr. Dell to be in Krishna's life. [Krishna] needs to know her father and have a consistent relationship with him. [Dell's visitation] will increase as Krishna ages - as it's appropriate."

Dell's lawyer Bill Zabel has insisted that his client had no intention of making the matter public but that the legal battle was necessary in order to have a relationship with the child.

"There was no desire for publicity and Adam regrets that there is some - but [he] can't help it given that he was forced to go to court to assert his rights as a father," Zabel said.